Operation Finale Plot Summary:
In 1960 a team of Israeli Mossad agents travel to Argentina to apprehend Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley), the architect of the Final Solution. Based on a true story.
Moviegoers tend to accuse Holocaust films of being Oscar bait. And while I agree Oscar bait does exist, that doesn’t mean certain types of movies should go away. We should obviously never forget the Holocaust. Still, given that there are a number of movies centered on the topic, filmmakers need to approach the subject in different and interesting ways. Of course, with this movie coming out in August, the studio isn’t expecting major Oscar nominations.
Setting Operation Finale apart from similar films is that it takes place after the Holocaust and is focused on Israelis bringing a Nazi war criminal to justice. One of the things I was most intrigued about going into this movie was it taking place in Argentina. Besides the absurd conspiracy theory that Hitler escaped to Argentina, I didn’t know about Nazis living in the country. It’s not something I learned in history class.
Unfortunately, the movie’s exploration into Nazis in Argentina is very shallow, almost like it expects the audience to already know about it. Sure, you can always just look up the details on the Internet, but it would’ve gone a long way to round out the setting. The idea of Israeli agents facing a pervasive network of exiled Nazis is exciting. Instead, it’s not really clear how much power the Nazis possess.
Operation Finale also skimps out on its portrayal of Adolf Eichmann. The movie doesn’t explicitly state all the crimes he’s accused of. Eichmann tries to act like he’s a victim of circumstance and the film seems to want us to go along, as if it’s a mystery. Unfortunately, it’s a mystery that drags on. The only thing that keeps the film slightly interesting is it doesn’t paint Mossad simply as the good guys, instead showing their internal struggle over whether to seek justice or vengeance. It’s occasionally thought provoking.
That’s not to say that Ben Kingsley doesn’t give a good performance. Sure, it’s hard to believe him as German, and he doesn’t even attempt an accent. Then again, Oscar Isaac isn’t Jewish. If there’s any performance that stands out, it’s Nick Kroll. He’s a comedian but manages to do drama well.
I don’t want to rag on Operation Finale too much because I’m sure a lot of time and care went into it, given the subject. Technically and performance-wise, it’s a well-made movie. Alexandre Desplat’s score stands out in a few instances and makes it feel like a real spy flick. But even though you can’t argue with a true story, other than its use of artistic license, the movie could have been better.
Bottom line, wait and see if this movie lands on Netflix. It’s not worth a trip to the theater.
