Operation Finale (2018)
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A clandestine Mossad operation seeks to capture Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann in Argentina to bring him to justice in Israel.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
In 1960 Buenos Aires, Sylvia Hermann infiltrates the Eichmann family to identify the Nazi war criminal. After a meeting where Eichmann is photographed by a Mossad agent, the team plans to capture him by posing as an El Al air crew. Peter Malkin and a doctor named Hanna join the team to sedate Eichmann during transport. They successfully capture him, but the return flight is delayed. Eichmann refuses to sign an affidavit for transport, leading to a tense standoff where Peter shares his personal story of losing his sister and children to the Holocaust. During the delay, the team faces pressure from Argentine police and the threat of capture. Eichmann eventually admits his identity and shares a horrific account of the Einsatzgruppen. With the police closing in, the team is forced to alter their escape plan, leaving two operatives behind. Peter orders the plane to take off without him. The film concludes with the televised trial in Israel, where Eichmann is found guilty and hanged in 1962. It is revealed that Peter lived a long life, dying in 2005.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 123
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Chris Weitz
- Writers
- Matthew Orton · writer
- Cast and characters
- Oscar Isaac · Peter Malkin; Ben Kingsley · Adolf Eichmann; Lior Raz; Mélanie Laurent; Nick Kroll; Haley Lu Richardson
- Genres
- historical drama; thriller
- Themes
- Banality of evil; Holocaust memory; Espionage; Justice
- Tone and mood
- Historical; Tense; Dramatic
- Premise and plot tags
- Based on actual events; Spy thriller; Historical drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- Eichmann in My Hands by Peter Malkin and Harry Stein
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics, though it was noted for its strong cast and direction. It received an 'A-' average grade from CinemaScore audiences and a 86% positive score from PostTrak.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 58 · scale: 100 · review count: 33; PostTrak · score: 86%
- Production trivia
- The film features a clip from the 1959 Douglas Sirk film Imitation of Life featuring actress Susan Kohner, who is the mother of the film's director.; The film was moved up from its original September 14, 2018 release date to August 29, 2018, due to high test screening scores.; The film was released on Netflix US in February 2021.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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