The Operative

Nowadays many movies are being watched while the viewer is occupied by something else. No not that (though I am not judging if you do that while watching a movie), rather something like surfing or generally doing something on your phone/tablet. This movie can not be enjoyed that way nor can you win any satisfying experience either.

Diane Kruger is amazing in this movie and she once again proves that she can carry a movie. I really dig her performance here. Strong, yet fragile. Tough and vulnerable at the same time. Tension filled from start to finish, you really do care for her and her wishes. I love the shades of grey ... not everything is good, not everything is bad. Also when people are involved, it is tough to detach oneself from something or someone. Not to mention that you could argue that some things are ... well wouldn't happen if one wouldn't tease someone and more or less make them do things ... they otherwise wouldn't do

Good film, YES you have to pay attention. The first half of the film is excellent , it gets choppy and the narrative nearly goes off the rails.

There s a key moment in the film when the handler meets the main character's father, "The liberal Englishman academic", who is horrified of the thought of Israel. This is a position I have never seen said out loud in film or print by WESTERN media. Its tectonic. I was really surprised because Israel is an artifice, (its just no one admits it).

The acting is amazing as usual Martin Freeman steals the movie (he has nearly taken over from Phillip Seymour Hoffman) , and. Diane Kruger is EXCELLENT !

When a young woman is recruited by the Mossad, she is sent to Tehran to work undercover. However she soon warms to the place and people and this may risk not only her career but also the plans of her employers. The Operative is one of those slow spy thrillers, it takes its time to build the characters and attempts are made to connect audiences to Diane Kruger's character. However the actual presentation of the story has some real pacing issues where I lost the plot many times. I get that this is meant to be a character driven film. But film makers such as Polanski (Chinatown) and Sydney Pollack (Three Days of the Condor) have shown that the plot can take a backseat for characters. But there was still considerable amount of strings being pulled in the background to make it work. The stories were complex because there were many details that need to be uncovered. The Operative is convoluted because there is very little within the story and therefore the film makers try to hide that by dragging scenes out. By having scenes that are completely pointless. Diane Kruger is an extremely talented actress and this may actually be her best performance of her career. Her character is relatable to audiences but mysterious for them to ask the question who she really is. The rest of the cast feels rather wasted with other players including Martin Freeman, pop in and out of the picture. The movie on a technical level is competent but nothing shows of a unique vision. This makes The Operative feel like a generic spy caper that isn't even exciting. Perhaps if you browse by this film on Netflix and have nothing else to do, The Operative might be a film for that occasion. Otherwise, no recommendation from me.

Good Cast. But the whole film built up to a climax that never happened. Ultimately dissapointing.

Excellent slow boil espionage thriller. Flawless performances, brilliant screenplay and a slap in the face to expected norms.