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Reviews
Operation Mincemeat (2021)
A PALE IMITATION OF "THE MAN WHO NEVER WAS"
Once upon a time, Britain produced wonderful, realistic movies about the war, or more generally about the military. Thankfully I'm old enough to have watched these movies from before British filmmaking was feminised. I have in mind, movies like "In Which We Serve" (1942), "Sink the Bismarck" (1960), "Guns of Batasi" (1964) - or last, but certainly not least, "The Man Who Never Was" (1956), the predecessor of "Operation Mincemeat".
"Operation Mincemeat" is like none of these. It could have been. There were even glimpses. But instead it ended up being "a sensitive exploration of the role of two junior officers and a multitude of woman saving thousands". It was a movie where the male and female leads sit around interminably developing a dead man's character - and especially in developing his fictional love life. We're invited to allow ourselves to be captured by the romance of it, just as Montagu (Colin Firth) and. Jean Leslie (Kelly MacDonald) were. But alas, instead of just having sex and getting on with the movie, this half-baked romance hung over the entire movie like a pall.
Possibly the worst scene in the movie - at least for me - was the scene in which Montagu and Cholmondeley (Matthew Macfayden) stood at a wall map briefing the submarine captain (a mere lieutenant) on the mission. That's not how an important mission would be briefed! But the truly twee part of the scene was when, at the end of the briefing, the lieutenant jumped to attention, told Montagu and Cholmondeley that their plan would save thousands, and snapped a parade ground salute. I couldn't believe my eyes - but there was more!! This theatrical salute was immediately returned together by Montagu and Cholmondeley (without caps) with an equally theatrical rendition of a parade ground salute! As the submarine captain departed scene right, the two main characters looked at each other and both confessed that they felt like vomiting. Frankly, after that scene, so did I!
The movie's ending, which had Montagu and Cholmondeley sitting at the top of some steps congratulating each other on how many lives they saved. It was what I'd expect at the end of a Mills and Boon paperback, not a serious war movie.
Why was the movie so nauseatingly "chick flick" like? Most of the blame must lie at the feet of the writer of the screenplay, Michelle Ashford, but a good portion of blame must also go to the Director, John Madden, for allowing the sensitive drivel to get through. It's a very disappointing movie!
Silent Hours (2017)
TAKES TRITE TO A NEW LEVEL!
I struggled to get through this movie; so I took it in stages interspersed by judicious fast-forwarding. Thank God for technology!
The movie itself was marred by an appalling script and wooden acting. As a "thriller" it was sub-standard, relying on nudity, a bevy of attractive women, and lots of gruesome savagery to maintain a level of interest. The story line alone was incapable of doing that!
The James Weber Brown character was appallingly shallow. Perhaps his sexual interests and his constant lighting up of mini-cigars was considered to be enough character development. It wasn't.
The focus on the Navy was sickening! I served for more than two decades, and I've never met anyone who harps on about the Navy so much as the characters in this movie!
To add insult to this childish portrayal, the Commander (Hugh Bonneville's character) was always in his uniform. Did the script writer and director think Commanders wear their uniforms when at home alone. They don't.
What's even worse is that the Commander's uniforms were always wrong! The Commander's shoulder tabs were back-to-front. (That's worth a round of drinks at the bar for a Sub-Lieutenant; no Commander would ever make such a stupid mistake.) Bonneville's winter uniform sleeve rank covers only the external part of the sleeve. I've seen airline pilots with such rank insignia, but never a real Navy officer.
The writer might have benefited from having a Navy technical adviser - but that might have resulted in large slabs of the movie being deleted!
Apart from such awful howlers, there was nothing in this movie to recommend it. Nudity and shock value don't help it over the line.
Reacher (2022)
DISAPPOINTINGLY CLICHED
I was blown away by Season 1 of Reacher; it was refreshingly entertaining. Sadly, I can't say the same for Season 2.
I'm listening to "Bad Luck and Trouble", the Jack Reacher audio book on which Season 2 is based. Season 2 follows the book incredibly closely. Word for word in places.
That said, it's no surprise that, just like this book (and I've read or listened to all of them), the TV series is irritatingly trite and cliched! If I hear "no one messes with the Special Investigators" one more time, I think I'll go mad! It's been said by almost every character in the book and the TV series (except the police guy Reacher punches senseless)! Everyone else says it at least once, and sometimes twice.
Perhaps Lee Childs, the author, was in the doldrums when writing this story; and that's a great disappointment. It had so much potential. What's more annoying is that the script writers didn't address the books obvious shortcomings.
But the audio book has one positive that the TV series lacks. I don't have to see Reacher with bulging eyes, almost squeezed shut by too much weight lifting, too many protein shakes or other substances that increase internal pressure!
I hope Series 3 is better!