A team of secret agents sets out to track down the Nazi officer who masterminded the Holocaust.A team of secret agents sets out to track down the Nazi officer who masterminded the Holocaust.A team of secret agents sets out to track down the Nazi officer who masterminded the Holocaust.
- Awards
- 2 nominations total
Rocío Muñoz
- Graciela
- (as Rocio Muñoz)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
The only serious problem is the good intention in this case. The high ambition , too. Because the film has the right story and the right actors. But not the right director. The film is far to be bad and the music saves many errors or flaws. Ben Kingsley deserves the role of Eichman and the subject is fascinating. But it has not the chance to be the first film about the operation to find Adolf Eichman and the mistake of director remains to give a film who seems reduce the importance of Shoah and propose a love story who escapes to it . But , sure, it has the virtue to be the start point for viewer to discover the real story of the operation.
It's 1960 Buenos Aires, Argentina. Teenager Sylvia Hermann falls for Klaus Eichmann. He tells her that he is raised by his uncle after his SS father was killed. Unbeknownst to them, her father is secretly a German Jew. The uncle is suspected to be Adolph Eichmann (Ben Kingsley), the architect of the Holocaust. When it's reported back to the Mossad, Rafi Eitan (Nick Kroll) insists on pursuing the fugitive despite reservations. Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac) is a team leader. Hanna Elian (Mélanie Laurent) is the doctor. It's a daring operation to kidnap the Nazi and transport him to Israel for trial.
At first, I expected a caper movie. I expected laying out the scheme and overcoming some unexpected hurdles. For the first half, that's the movie and it's not that new. The Argentinian Nazi gathering is very creepy and there is an interesting history lesson. It's pretty good and then it turns into something better at the safe house. It becomes a psychological chess match and that's the more interesting battle. It's a simple good cop, bad cop situation but Ben Kingsley heightens it with his excellence. He's a master of acting. This reminds me a bit of Munich but this is superior.
At first, I expected a caper movie. I expected laying out the scheme and overcoming some unexpected hurdles. For the first half, that's the movie and it's not that new. The Argentinian Nazi gathering is very creepy and there is an interesting history lesson. It's pretty good and then it turns into something better at the safe house. It becomes a psychological chess match and that's the more interesting battle. It's a simple good cop, bad cop situation but Ben Kingsley heightens it with his excellence. He's a master of acting. This reminds me a bit of Munich but this is superior.
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.
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.
Films about Nazis always freak me out, even ones like this where there's a layer of cinematic tint. Dramatic set pieces, overly acted dialogue, rousing score. It feels wrong to dress up Nazi atrocities. Yet despite its heist movie aesthetic, this is worth watching, Oscar Isaac is good, in his Golden Age of Hollywood way. Ben Kingsley though, has played some terrifying characters, but is portrayal of Adolf Eichmann is, well it's disarming. There are much better films that cover this subject, but I'll never decry any that highlights what happened during the Holocaust, the aftermath and present day deniers and anti-semites. Films like this have their place, many people struggle with the realities of what happened and if this makes the truth more accessible, then so be it.
1960. Israeli agents get a tip-off that Adolph Eichmann, the architect of Hitler's Final Solution, is living in Argentina. They assemble a team to extract him and bring him to Israel to stand trial as a mass murderer.
Interesting true story. Shows how the Mossad investigated the possibility that Eichmann was living in Argentina, how they positively identified him and the planning and execution of getting him to Israel. While you know the result, if you know history, it still makes for very intriguing watching. This is especially as there was a large amount of danger involved in the operation - there was a large element of Nazis and Nazi sympathisers living in Argentina and they had significant influence over the government.
The historic element makes this quite edifying viewing too.
Great work by Ben Kingsley as Eichmann. Oscar Isaac puts in a solid performance as Peter Malkin, senior Mossad agent.
Interesting true story. Shows how the Mossad investigated the possibility that Eichmann was living in Argentina, how they positively identified him and the planning and execution of getting him to Israel. While you know the result, if you know history, it still makes for very intriguing watching. This is especially as there was a large amount of danger involved in the operation - there was a large element of Nazis and Nazi sympathisers living in Argentina and they had significant influence over the government.
The historic element makes this quite edifying viewing too.
Great work by Ben Kingsley as Eichmann. Oscar Isaac puts in a solid performance as Peter Malkin, senior Mossad agent.
Did you know
- TriviaAdolf Eichmann was not particularly well-known as a Nazi outside of Germany until his escape from capture after the war. Prior to Eichmann's capture and trial which brought focus to his responsibility in transporting victims to the camps, the man most associated with being "architect of the Final Solution" was Reinhard Heydrich, who was assassinated during the war.
- GoofsIn the beginning of the movie, a Hebrew book is being read. The person is scanning the pages left to right. However, unlike English, Hebrew is read right to left.
- Quotes
Adolph Eichmann: You have no interest in what I have to say. Unless it confirms what you think you already know.
- ConnectionsFeatured in WatchMojo: Top 10 Failed Oscar Bait Movies of 2018 (2019)
- SoundtracksIhr Kinderlein Kommet
Traditional
Performed by Wiener Sängerknaben (as The Vienna Boys Choir)
Conducted by Peter Marshik
Courtesy of Naxos of America
Details
- Release date
- Countries of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Operation Finale
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $24,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $17,612,099
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $6,022,758
- Sep 2, 2018
- Gross worldwide
- $17,612,099
- Runtime
- 2h 2m(122 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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