Review: Operation Finale

People who know me well are aware of my deep interest in certain historical events. Slavery is one of them. The Holocaust is the other.

My knowledge about Nazis began in early childhood, ironically, through a deceptively fluffy little adventure film called Raiders of the Lost Ark ( I was only 6 or 7 when I saw it at the cinema ). That, coupled with a detailed narrative from my history buff mother, nurtured a lifelong fascination with the Third Reich and its unspeakable genocidal acts.

Operation Finale (OF) recounts the capture of Adolf Eichmann, nicknamed "the Architect of the Holocaust", in Argentina, after which he was tried, convicted and executed in Israel for his crimes.

The story itself is pretty straightforward, and even shares quite a few similarities with the plot from 2010's The Debt ( Jessica Chastain and Sam Worthington ) - also about Mossad agents hunting a Nazi in a foreign country. Both movies are greatly helped by terrific casts, plus a number of memorable scenes.

It's interesting to note that Oscar Isaac is one of the producers of Operation Finale. It illustrates his passion for the project, with significant personal investment, even though he's of Guatemalan descent. Speaking of which, the choice of actors is rather odd, with Americans and a French playing Israeli characters, and Ben Kingsley retaining his crisp British twang as Eichmann.
Lots of Hollywood films do the same thing, of course, but it did perplex me, and I felt they could've at least tried to have more authentic accents like in The Debt.

Aside from that little flaw, I though OF was well done, satisfying and at times very moving. Without revealing spoilers, moments which stood out include a secret Nazi gathering in Argentina ( unsettling ), the Israeli prime minister's soft but poignant speech to the Mossad agents ( heart-wrenching ), and Isaac's one-on-one scenes with Kingsley ( enlightening ).

An article about the actual events versus the film's depiction offers good insights.
A choice quote from Peter Malkin ( played by Isaac ) is how "his conversations with Eichmann helped him to realize that the former Nazi was not a monster but a human being, which made Eichmann's actions during the war even harder to comprehend... a monster can be excused for his behaviour... The problem is not how a monster could do it, but how a human being did it."

This observation permeates many well-known movies about the Holocaust and Nazis. Amon Goeth ( Schindler's List ) developed a romantic attachment to his Jewish maid, while Reinhard Heydrich ( The Man With The Iron Heart ) was a devoted father. Their capacity for selective hatred and justification of clearly heinous acts is something I still struggle to understand.

Special mention goes to Isaac for yet another stellar performance. OF didn't make a huge impact at the box office, but neither did The Debt or The Man with the Iron Heart, and I found all three very compelling and highly recommend them.

I've followed Isaac's career since 2010's Robin Hood, before he found stardom with 2013's Inside Llewyn Davis. He's one of the finest actors of our generation, but is sorely underrated. It could be a result of his unconventional choices ( a preference for smaller films over mainstream blockbusters ), but every time he appears on the screen - ruggedly handsome, with a constantly melancholy expression, speaking in a soft yet urgent tone - I dare you to remain unmoved.

His scenes with Kingsley are superb. They speak in gentle, hushed voices, belying the horrific nature of their conversations. The power shifts are mesmerizing, and what I found most inspiring was how Malkin managed to overcome his disgust for Eichmann to play an integral part in the mission's success.


I visited Washington, D.C. in 2014. It included a tour of the Holocaust Memorial Museum - a place which none of my friends who've been to Washington saw ( very wasted, IMO ). Even in a museum setting, the pain and sadness that permeated the entire building was overwhelming, and the mood of all the visitors ( including high school students ) was sombre.
As I passed the huge pile of shoes which belonged to those who perished at the death camps, I remember wondering how mankind could be capable of such depravity. Then came the display of heroes' images, including Oskar Schindler's - angels who stood up to an evil regime and restored my faith in humanity.

My journey will continue next year, as I plan to visit Auschwitz and central Europe, where much of the Holocaust took place.

I will end this entry with a beautiful quote from the Holocaust Museum's Hall of Remembrance, from the Bible's book of Deuteronomy: Only guard yourself and guard your soul carefully, lest you forget the things your eyes saw, and lest these things depart your heart all the days of your life. And you shall make them known to your children, and to your children's children.


We will never forget. We must never forget.