Operation Finale (2018)

Operation Finale review by Mark McPherson - Cinema Paradiso

Many years after World War 2, the elusive Nazi officer Adolf Eichmann was tracked down in Argentina. Eichmann was of particular interest to answer for his crimes has he orchestrated the transportation of millions of Jews to their deaths. When he was eventually caught, he was put on trial in a televised event that was heartwrenching enough to warrant his execution from the conclusion of the case. But this film is not about the courtroom drama which would’ve been interesting enough. No, this is the tale of how he was finally captured and brought to justice which was certainly a tough ordeal but perhaps not as compelling.

Heading the Mossad operation of tracking down of Eichmann to be brought to trial in Isreal is Mossad agent Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac) and his team of spies working to secretly kidnap the Nazi who escaped from Berlin. Ben Kinglsey plays Eichmann and gives a strong performance as a man who seems to be trying to place his Nazi past behind him. Peter spots Eichmann with his family, spending time with his boy watching the trains go by. When Eichmann is later captured before a secret transfer out of the country, Peter questions the former Nazi if he felt any different about watching those trains than he did the many others sending Jews to concentration camps. This, of course, occurs after Eichmann is finally found out as the man denies his involvement until he is cornered and confesses.

But once Eichmann confesses, he gives a smug look and sighs with a “yeah, I did it, so what” attitude. This is not a man terribly haunted by his horrific crimes against humanity. It feels like another lifetime ago. When we later see him in the courtroom being shown archival footage of the atrocities of his political party, he looks on with almost a quiet shock, not shaken but curious as to where he had once been. Of course, Eichmann isn’t above provoking Peter which is rather easy to do given his personal loss from the Holocaust. The former Nazi pulls out the oldest captured villain mind game in the book by droning with details about how he killed a mother and her baby in a casual manner, lightly mentioning how he dusted baby brains off his outfit. Naturally, Peter nearly kills the guy right there because he’s only human. It’s that humanity that Eichmann is counting on to help him avoid trial, even if it means taking his own life.

Operation Finale feels strangely routine for this type of the story considering how it merely hits the expected notes of suspense right on cue. Knowing the final result of the trial makes the climax of getting Eichmann out of the airport at the last minute before authorities arrive doesn’t carry a hefty helping of drama. The cast is all rather strong, making sure to never overdo their roles, but they’re so saddled within quiet desperation and anger that the whole operation comes off as a bit of a slog at times. It’s still a unique story and well made but when the courtroom epilogue looks far more appealing, there’s a certain tedium to a highly historical moment for should really be a thrilling mission of making sure justice is served.