The genre of war films have been a common staple of the Hollywood machine since films have been around, but in the latter years of films being made, Hollywood has produced a certain number of World War II films based around the German concentration camps and the Holocaust. Movies such as "Schindler's List" '93, "The Pianist" '02 and "Child 44" '15 were produced to show us the atrocities of war. And now we have "Operation Finale" to add to that grippingly horrendous list.
Fifteen years after the end of World War II, Israel's intelligence agency Mossad and security agency Shin Bet-- led by the tireless and heroic agent Peter Malkin (David Isaac)-- launched a daring top secret raid to capture the notorious Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley), who had been reported dead in the chaos following Nazi Germany's collapse but was, in fact, living and working in a suburb of Buenos Aries, Argentina under an assumed identity along with his wife and two sons. Monitoring his daily routine, Malkin and his operatives including Hanna Elian (Melanie Laurent), Isser Harel (Lior Raz), Rafi Eitan (Nick Kroll), Zvi Aharoni (Michael Aronov), Ephraim Ilian (Ohad Knoller) and Moshe Tabor (Greg Hill), plot and execute the abduction under the cover of darkness just a few feet from Eichmann's home. Determined to sneak him out of Argentina to stand trial in Israel for war crimes, Malkin and Eichmann engage in an intense and gripping game of cat-and-mouse.
Others to round out the cast are Torben Liebrecht as Yaakov Gat, Michael Benjamin Hernandez as Dani Shalom, Joe Alwyn as Klaus Eichmann, Adolf Eichmann's son, Greta Scacchi as Vera Eichmann, Adolf Eichmann's wife, Peter Strauss as Lothar Hermann and Haley Lu Richardson as Sylvia Hermann.
This was directed with intensity and grit by veteran filmmaker, Chris Weitz ("Down to Earth" '01, "About a Boy" '02, "The Golden Compass" '07, "The Twilight Saga: New Moon" '09, "A Better Life" '11) plus TV. Even though this filmmaker has a tendency to delve into similar material, what he directs is a solid, well thought out film showcasing how the different characters come to life, which is what is displayed here in this film as well. It was written with just the right amount of passion by virtual newcomer Matthew Orton. It is truly difficult to believe that this is Orton's first film--so much so that I feel like I should continue to research this writer until I find something else he has written. This story was based on the incredible true story of searching, monitoring and redemption, and this story conveys this to its audience in spades. With this being Orton's first screenplay, I am definitely curious to see how he does with his project, "Battle of Britain" which has been announced. Certainly Hollywood could use more talented writers these days, and with the likes of Orton, they have hit gold. Really, other than a couple of small places of slowness, this script was cohesive, heartbreaking and conveyed with just the right amount of pathos and passion.
What is sad is that we consistently need to see these films occasionally to remind us of our horrific past of the atrocities of humankind. But then again, if we didn't have these films, our society would seize to remember lest to repeat the history. As long as we create films, we truly need to see these films to remind us that maybe, just maybe, we need to treat each other with more compassion and less aggression.
Out of 4 Stars: 3.5 Rated: PG-13 123mins.
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