The Deception

1943: Fighting Hitler's armies, the Allies plan a major attack on Sicily. The Nazis are to be taken completely by surprise by the attack, which presents British intelligence with a difficult task: Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) and Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew Macfadyen) are tasked with devising a confusion strategy that can be implemented in short order, leading the Germans to believe they have accidentally obtained top-secret documents detailing Allied war plans for an invasion of the Peloponnese and Sardinia. The plan they devise seems so absurd that it cannot work. But the deception, centered on a dead agent, is the only chance they have to land a decisive blow against Hitler in this war...

"The Deception" is based on the incredible but true story of a truly crazy idea that hoped to change the course of the war - against all logic. Director John Madden ("Shakespeare in Love") has turned it into an old-fashioned spy thriller with humorous elements in the best sense of the word. His film is amusing, a bit suspenseful and in places quite emotional. Even if the outcome of the story is predictable due to the known historical events, the whole thing has quite a few surprises and unexpected twists to offer. And for James Bond fans, the film also offers some interesting scenes, but a certain Ian Fleming plays a small, but not unimportant role in the story.

Before the camera could be gathered a very strong ensemble. Especially Colin Firth and Matthew Macfadyen, who currently shines in the acclaimed series "Succession", deliver very good performances. But to be honest, none of the performances really linger in the memory. This is not because of the really strong ensemble, but simply because the production is too conventional, especially for this exciting story. At least there are no notable lengths despite a running time of over two hours.

Even if the production does not use the full potential of the story and the talents in front of the camera, the film offers very good, exciting entertainment in its own way, which can be warmly recommended to fans of classically told spy stories in particular. Therefore, the bottom line is a clear "Seeable" with small point deductions in the B grade.

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp