Operation Finale is a 2018 American historical drama film directed by Chris Weitz, from a screenplay by Matthew Orton. The film stars Oscar Isaac (who also produced), Ben Kingsley, Lior Raz, Mélanie Laurent, Nick Kroll, and Haley Lu Richardson, and follows the efforts of Israeli Mossad officers to capture former SS officer Adolf Eichmann in 1960. Several source materials, including Eichmann in My Hands, a memoir by Israeli officer Peter Malkin, provided the basis for the story. Principal photography began in Argentina in October 2017. The film was theatrically released in the United States on August 29, 2018 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer through their joint venture with Annapurna Pictures (now called United Artists Releasing) and received mixed reviews from critics.
Plot
After World War II ends, Holocaust mastermind Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley) disappears; other Nazi leaders commit suicide and none face trial for their crimes. Years later, Mossad agent Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac) mistakenly kills the wrong person while hunting a Nazi war criminal in Austria, damaging his reputation.
In Buenos Aires, Sylvia Hermann (Haley Lu Richardson) unknowingly begins courting the son of Adolf Eichmann, Klaus (Joe Alwyn). At dinner with her German-Jewish father, Lothar (Peter Strauss), Klaus openly speaks negatively about Jews in Germany and claims his father died in the war. Lothar grows suspicious and passes his name along to Mossad in Tel Aviv. Field agent Zvi Aharoni (Michael Aronov) is dispatched in Buenos Aires to begin reconnaissance, presumably being offered the job over Peter.
Klaus takes Sylvia to a meeting, which turns out to be a Nazi revival led by Carlos Fuldner, which Adolf also attends. Realizing what the meeting is, Sylvia abruptly leaves, ending her relationship with Klaus.
Now working in coordination with Mossad, Sylvia meets the Eichmann family at their home under the guise of reconciling with Klaus. An argument between her and Klaus causes Adolf (living under the name Ricardo Clement and claiming to be Klaus’s uncle) to intervene; Klaus accidentally refers to him as his father and Adolf is subsequently photographed. Adolf notices the operative taking his photo and sketches him.
The Mossad team uses the evidence from the meeting to confirm Adolf’s identity and plan his capture – they intend to disguise themselves as an air crew and fly him out while sedated. Peter and his ex-girlfriend Hanna, a doctor, are brought on to the team with her role to keep Eichmann sedated during their travels. After capturing Eichmann, he admits his real identity, but his family realize that Sylvia found out as well, and inform the police who prevent their plane from taking off. The agents learn that the Israeli airline, El Al, will not agree to transport Eichmann unless he signs an affidavit stating he will willfully go to Israel; he refuses to sign because he does not believe he will get a fair trial. The team’s interrogator is not able to get through to Adolf, but Peter eventually does by sharing his personal story of loss and listening to Adolf’s story about being ignorant of the actual killing of the Jews, his job being focused exclusively on logistics.
During the plane’s delay and while they await Eichmann’s capitulation, Klaus and the police increasingly investigate Adolf’s disappearance, distributing the sketch of the operative to the public. When one of the Mossad team is captured after using US dollars instead of pesos, she reveals the location of the safehouse, and the rest of the team must escape in one car, leaving two operatives behind. The police also confiscate the plane’s landing permits, grounding it. Peter hand-delivers a copy of the permit to air traffic control and, seeing the police closing in, orders the plane to take off without him.
Later, all the operatives reunite at Eichmann’s trial. Text indicates the outcome of his trial and Peter’s life.
Cast
Oscar Isaac as Peter Malkin
Ben Kingsley as Adolf Eichmann
Lior Raz as Isser Harel
Mélanie Laurent as Dr. Hanna Elian
Nick Kroll as Rafi Eitan
Joe Alwyn as Klaus Eichmann
Haley Lu Richardson as Sylvia Hermann
Michael Aronov as Zvi Aharoni
Peter Strauss as Lothar Hermann
Ohad Knoller as Ephraim Ilani
Greg Hill as Moshe Tabor
Torben Liebrecht as Yaakov Gat
Michael Benjamin Hernandez as Dani Sharlon
Greta Scacchi as Vera Eichmann
Allan Corduner as Gideon Hausner
Tatiana Rodriguez as Annie Werner
Pêpê Rapazote as Carlos Füldner
Simon Russell Beale as David Ben-Gurion
Reviews
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