There are a few careers that go unsung by society, but nonetheless are of vital importance to humanity.  We tend not to acknowledge the spiritual ones, but I will do so for you right now.  As I type this, and you read it, there is a member of a Catholic religious order praying for me and you. You may not be specifically named in the intention, but your petition, station in life, and/or struggle is daily offered up to our Creator.  They do so simply from a desire to see as many souls as possible saved and in Heaven as God would like.  The hope is, especially if you are not a believer, that you might recognize the workings of the Almighty in your life and respond accordingly.  These prayers are said not for some kind of recognition on their part, and even if they are answered differently than is meant, the martyrdom of doing so will add to the graces bestowed upon the person saying them.  In this way, prayer is always effectual.  While it may not seem like it if you watch it, all these things are applicable to today’s film, Operation Mincemeat (2021), and I will explain this to you as we go along.

As Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) and Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew Macfadyen) await hearing about the fruits of Operation Mincemeat, they ask their staff to pray with them.  What this secretive plan is, and how this group of people came to be in this London basement is the subject of the rest of the film.  It begins six months previously with Ewen having a party at his home.  It is being put on by his wife, Iris Montagu (Hattie Morahan), who has billed it as a retirement party.  During it, though, he gives a speech to the contrary, telling the guests that he will be going into the business of war time production and thanking her for her efforts on this night.  Further, because of the danger in London during World War II, he is sending his family to live in the United States during the hostilities.  Staying behind with his faithful secretary, Hester Leggatt (Penelope Wilson), he is actually about to be appointed to a special branch of British Intelligence called the Twenty Committee.  Their job is to do counter-intelligence, meaning coming up with ways of deceiving the Nazis and gaining an advantage on the battlefield.  Also a part of this group is Charles, whose brother has died in service to king and country.  With Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Simon Russell Beale) desiring to open up another front against Germany in Southern Europe, he turns to Admiral John Godfrey (Jason Isaacs), leader of the Twenty Committee, for ideas as to how to trick the enemy.  Admiral Godfrey brings up this desire at the next meeting, and Charles puts forward the outlines of a plan that he calls Operation Trojan Horse.  The notion is to convince the German high command that the Allies intend to invade Greece when their real goal is Sicily.  By doing so, the hope is that the Germans will commit more men to defending the Allies’ fictional target instead of the real one.  Charles proposes getting a body to wash up on the shore somewhere in mainland Europe with documents on it suggesting Greece as the next invasion point.  It is seconded by Ewen, who begins filling in many additions to round out what, to Admiral Godfrey, appears to be a fool’s errand.  Nonetheless, Charles and Ewen form a partnership and get to work on the titular scheme, renaming it as such in order to avoid any connection to Greece.  The first thing they need is a corpse, preferably one that had been the victim of drowning.  After a series of rejections, mostly because they are women, they find the body of Glyndwr Michael (Lorne MacFadyen).  The next step is to build up a believable backstory for their guy, essentially creating an entire life for a fictional person.  This is when Jean Leslie (Kelly MacDonald) becomes an invaluable part of the team.  She is somebody to whom Charles is attracted, although, to (I guess) add tension, a closeness develops between her and Ewen.  For now, she helps by providing insight into a potential lover for their Major William Martin, the name and rank they give to their messenger corpse.  As they go along, they continue to meet resistance from Admiral Godfrey despite Churchill’s backing of the plan.  Out of spite, because every movie needs a villain I suppose, Admiral Godfrey gives information to Charles that Ewen’s brother, Ivor Montagu (Mark Gatiss), could be working for the Soviet Union.  In exchange for keeping tabs on the Mantagus, Admiral Godfrey promises Charles that the younger man’s brother would be returned for a hero’s burial.  Finally, despite the intrigue and with a rotting cadaver that is about to be useless, Admiral Godfrey gives the go ahead for the mission.  Still, it is not as easy as letting Major Martin’s body float onto a Spanish beach.  Instead, they need to closely monitor known Nazi spies in the area in order to make sure that the information gets to Berlin where it can have the most effect.  Despite Spain being a fascist country, they remained neutral, and Major Martin’s items fall into the hands of the Spanish Navy, who want to return everything to the British.  It takes the use of one of their own agents in Spain to ensure that the information is seen by the right people without it being too obvious.  Even still, they do not have any idea whether the ruse has worked.  There is even some sense that it may be doomed when a German spy claiming to work for the group inside the Third Reich seeking to overthrow Adolf Hitler breaks into Jean’s flat demanding information.  After this, Jean decides to leave, citing this incident and complications with Ewen.  Either way, the Nazis fall for the trick, moving hundreds of thousands of troops into Greece and leaving Sicily less defended.

The final shot of Operation Mincemeat is of Charles and Ewen sitting outside reminiscing about what they have done, and the secrets they have (and will continue to) kept.  This is driven home by post scripts at the end that discuss how tens of thousands of lives were saved by their efforts, which made the invasion of Sicily less bloody.  Yet, they could not discuss their heroics with others.  This is why I started the review as I did.  I see the efforts of religious orders, cloistered or otherwise, in the same vein.  They do not seek applause for what they do even if they probably deserve it more so than almost anyone else that could come to mind.  Whether this is something added for effect, or because it is historically something the characters did, but there is a Catholic subtext to the actions of the protagonists.  The most significant one is Jean’s discussion of praying to St. Jude.  He is commonly known as the patron saint of lost causes, but that needs some clarification.  Perhaps this is a personal problem, but I sometimes worry how people interpret St. Jude.  What does it mean to patronize that which is hopeless?  To Charles, Ewen, and Jean, their plan at times looks like it is doomed to failure.  This works both in terms of what they are trying to do to the Nazis, and in the relationship dynamics between the three.  What gets them through their difficulties is the knowledge that what they are attempting together is for a higher purpose.  That is at the heart, spiritually speaking, of “hopeless causes.”  With God, nothing is truly without hope, it just might seem that way to us, particularly when we are in the midst of some kind of struggle.  When Charles and Ewen’s staff are praying, they do so as a last resort, which sounds bad, but to say the very least, is better than nothing.  God hears and answers all our prayers.  What a blessing it is for Charles and Ewen to have theirs fulfilled so instantaneously in the exact manner in which they asked for it.  This does not always happen, but it can.  When it does, it is a great feeling.  If only that could sustain us through all trials.  Yet, Faith is something that takes vigilance, and that is something to additionally take away from this movie.

Operation Mincemeat is a historical drama that might not be for all audiences.  It is a little convoluted, too, with many subplots to be followed.  To underscore this, I would point out that I did not even mention Sir Ian Fleming’s (Johnny Flynn) involvement, the creator of the James Bond series.  If you can get through these potential pitfalls, there is a solid film to be viewed.