Oscar Isaac, Ben Kingsley in a still from Operation Finale
#Operation finale trial
Malkin and his team’s job is to locate, capture and successfully extract Eichmann from Buenos Aires - all without raising the suspicion of the Argentinian government, which is known to turn down formal extradition requests - so that he can be brought to the courts in Jerusalem to stand trial for his crimes during the war. Eichmann, known as the architect of ‘The Final Solution’, planned and implemented the successful transportation and subsequent systematic execution of over six million Jews during World War II. Malkin is also fighting his own demons - the haunting memories of a sister and her three beautiful children who were intercepted in the middle of the woods by Nazi soldiers and brutally tortured and killed. The team itself is led by agent Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac), who has been out of action for some time after the debacle in Austria. The film centres around a dangerous extraction attempt by a team of Mossad secret agents, who travel all the way from Jerusalem to Buenos Aires, upon receiving a tip that the notorious Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley) is hiding there as a commoner. It reminds us that no matter whose blood is shed, it is always shed at a cost. It is this opening sequence that sets the tone for the rest of the film - reminding us that in war, both victor and vanquished suffer collateral damage. Disguised as military officers, a team of Israeli Nazi hunter spies call upon a former officer of the SS who is currently in hiding, and shoot him down on his lawn, only to realise that he was not the man they were looking for. It’s Christmas eve, somewhere in Austria. Some of the standout humorous scenes are between Isaac and Kroll, and as a whole, the comedy in the film helps to humanize the characters and their situation.Director Chris Weitz’s latest film - Operation Finale - opens with a sharply written scene. Many historical films seem to have a handful of dry jokes however, there is a fairly steady stream of witty banter in Operation Finale. One of the most welcome surprises of this film is that there is a significant amount of comic relief. It is also disappointing that Nick Kroll and Mélanie Laurent have relatively minor roles as their respective Mossad agents Rafi and Hanna.
This is unfortunate because despite her brief screen time, Richardson gives an impactful performance through a character that has a fascinating internal struggle. Once the Mossad agents receive the information about Eichmann’s location, there is no longer a need for Richardson’s character. One such element is the story of Sylvia (Haley Lu Richardson), who not only discovers that Eichmann is hiding in Argentina, but also discovers important information about her own identity. Unfortunately, many strong elements in the set-up do not have a place in the rest of the film and are tossed to the side. However, an immense amount of set-up is required to reach these critical scenes. The core of Operation Finale is a standoff between Oscar Isaac’s Mossad agent, Peter Malkin, and Ben Kingley’s Eichmann.
0 kommentar(er)
