Opération Finale

This is based upon a True Story 1960 in Argentina, Israeli Mossad Agents track down Adolph Eichmann (Ben Kingsley) who masterminded the Final Solution for Germany during WW II. How was Eichmann located? Klaus Eichmann (Joe Alwyn) was seeing Sylvia Hermann (Haley Lu Richardson), and Klaus told Sylvia's father Lothar (Peter Strauss) that his father was killed in the war. Lothar, though blind, felt Klaus was the son of Adolph Eichmann who masterminded the killing of 6-million Jews in Germany in WWII. Sylvia goes to Klaus's house to apologize for leaving him at a gathering at night and heard Klaus call Adolph Eichmann "father." The word got around and the Israelis now knew where Eichmann is. The plan is to fly him to Israel to stand trial. The rest of the movie has Adolph Eichmann at a Safe House until he can be flown out of Argentina. There are delays, and the gov't wants proof that Eichmann voluntarily agrees to go to Israel to be tried for war crimes. Eichmann refuses to sign the document agreeing to this. The dialogues between Eichmann and Peter Malkin at the Safe House are quite revealing, but keep in mind Malkin is still trying to get Eichmann to sign that document. Notables: Melanie Laurent as Hanna, the doctor who was needed to go to Argentina to help bring Eichmann to Israel; Oscar Isaac as Peter Malkin, the Agent, who captured Eichmann and who tried to get Eichmann to sign that document to allow him to go to Israel. Give Ben Kingsley the Oscar as he gave a truly brilliant performance as Adolph Eichmann. See statements at the end to learn what happened to Eichmann and Peter Malkin. (9/10) Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Humor: No. Language: Only one F-bomb was heard. Brief soft stuff otherwise Rating: A

An intelligent, if lugubrious, account of how Adolf Eichmann was captured in Buenos Aires and returned to Israel to stand trial. About the best you can say of Chris Weitz's "Operation Finale" is that it's a decent history lesson but a poor film with a miscast Ben Kingsley as Eichmann, (at the time the film was set Eichmann was 54 while Kingsley is 76 and looks it). As one of the men who did the actual capturing and who, in this film at least, is seen to form a kind of bond with his prisoner, Oscar Isaac isn't at all bad but everyone else in the cast is just some kind of pawn. What's lacking is any sense of urgency. I hate to say it but the film might have been better if it were less tasteful; it's almost as if everyone connected with the film were afraid to get their hands dirty so it's all handled with kid gloves. Material like this deserves better.

Sometimes it is not just about finding someone, or just catching them. It is about how to handle the whole situation. And with "war criminals" from the past, some may even argue: is it worth the time and money to catch and old man? What will it bring/achieve overall? Then again, shouldn't they still be held accountable? There are many moral questions attached to this, though the fact that you still have right wingers going crazy and trying to blame foreigners (Jews in this particular instance) is abhorrent. Having said all that, you have a great cast assembled here. Sir Ben Kingsley at the helm but many others "supporting" him. It is a tough subject matter especially because it is true. Maybe some things have been heightened (didn't read up on everything that went down), but overall this is quite draining and seems like a logical account of things. So while it may seem slow at times, the tension is still quite high.

Yom Shi Shi, Friday 19 October 2018: I saw this flick and I liked it from the beginning to the end. The suspense at the end was good. This film ranks up there with "Schindler's List" and a great little known film, "Walking With The Enemy" (2013). All three films about Nazi Germany and all co-stars, Ben Kingsley. I was especially to happy to see Israeli actor, Lior Raz in the film. I am a fan of his Israel t.v series "Fauda" in Hebrew. They should have also cast Israeli actress, Moran Atias in a role, perhaps as the female doctor. Oscar Isaac and the entire cast is good. I only wish that more Hebrew (ivrit) would have been spoken in film since part of it is suppose to be in Israel. I give the film 2 Thumbs up. In Ivrit, we say Kol Ha kavod.