Operation Finale - Movie Review

Operation Finale is the story of the Israeli mission to capture Adolph Eichmann, the notorious author of the Final Solution. Following the war, Eichmann escaped to Argentina where he went undetected for more than a decade. When his location was reported to authorities in Israel, they reluctantly launch a mission to capture the former Nazi officer. The operation was detailed in a memoir by Peter Malkin, which served as the inspiration for this screenplay (with liberties taken) by Matthew Orton in his debut as a screen writer.

Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac) isn't really a "capture" kind of agent. His missions are normally wet work. When former nazis are located, Malkin is on a team that locates and executes them. On the spot. When Malkin learns that Eichmann (Ben Kingsley) has been discovered in Argentina, he requests permission to be on the mission. After initial reluctance, Malkin is assigned to the team sent to capture and extract Eichmann. However, things don't go quite as planned. Problems with their flight plans combined by the discovery that Eichmann has been taken create a race against the clock to get Eichmann out. To further complicate matters, Israel wants a signed agreement from Eichmann agreeing to his extradition from Argentina. A battle of wits ensues between Malkin and Eichmann as the clock continues to tick.

Operation Finale was a mildly interesting story, although a bit flat. The film attempted to incorporate elements of horror from the holocaust in a feeble attempt to get "buy in" from viewers, but the story lacked something. It felt a bit sterile. As if we were reading an account from a history book rather than watching events unfold through the illusion of being there. It was somehow incomplete. The performances were solid, but the characters were flat and the story lacked a heartbeat. It was definitely interesting. It was not compelling. Or gripping. I wanted to be immersed in the story but felt like a distant observer.

Ben Kingsley is phenomenal. While he is decades removed from his Oscar performance in Ghandi, he has a trophy cabinet full of hardware for his impressive performances over the years. He is rock solid. Looking at photos and video of Eichmann, Kingsley brings an odd quality to the character that is both physically close as well as capturing some oddities with the way he moves his mouth. It's a small thing that didn't help the issues with the sterile nature of the film, but it was a bright spot. I like Oscar Isaac. He has been in some of my favorite films, particularly Ex Machina which was superb. He was strong in this film, but failed to overcome the limitations of his character. The film had a decent cast. The shortcoming were driven more by the writing than the performances.

Operation Finale received a tame rating of PG-13 by the MPAA. That is a fair rating. While the subject matter can be disturbing, the delivery was very subtle. There were scenes depicting mass murder, but they were not directly portrayed. There a few violent images depicted, but most of the violence is delivered verbally in recounting the horror. There is a depiction of a woman hanging from a tree and a truck full of bodies, so the film does have a bit of shock value. It was kept in check compared to many similar films depicting this era. The film also has some strong language, but it is fairly tame overall. I would go with tweens or above for this film. The hanging scene was a bit much for younger viewers. The film has a two hour, two minute run time.

Operation Finale documents an interesting historical footnote. It was an episode that allowed Israel to confront the personification of the evil that tormented her people. It was a story that led to the worldwide telecast of a trial, held in Israel, of one of the Nazis highest ranking officials. The story had a few elements of suspense, but the delivery was flat. The characters were mildly engaging, but mostly through the performances. The development was flat. An imagined relationship between two of the characters attempted to infuse some life into the story, but it stilled lacked a heartbeat. The pacing was slow and the story only mildly engaging. I never felt connected to the characters or immersed in the story. It was more of an intellectual curiosity than an engrossing cinematic experience. 6.5/10.

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