Operation Finale

The hunt for Holocaust architect Adolph Eichmann is chronicled, albeit blandly, in director Chris Weitz’s lost movie starring Oscar Isaac, Ben Kingsley and Melanie Laurent. When Eichmann (Kingsley) is discovered in Buenos Aires living a modest life working at an automobile plant, secret agents led by Peter Malkin (Isaac) and Hannah Elian (Laurent) set up shop where he resides. They hatch a plot to grab Eichmann and return him to Israel to stand trial for his war crimes. Up until the moment where they grab Eichmann, the movie is pretty good. But when the movie becomes about Malkin and Eichmann chatting in a dark bedroom, it loses its sting. A better movie would’ve had Eichmann standing trial for his crimes, thus educating those of us who haven’t seen his trial on YouTube with that historical event. Too much of this film is spent showing Eichmann trying to persuade Malkin that he was just a normal guy taking orders. Hey, maybe that happened, but cover it in five minutes and stay focused on what a monster this guy was. We already know he’s despicable, and I’m pretty sure the folks who risked their lives to grab him weren’t conflicted about whether or not he was really a nice guy forced to do a bad job. Yes, the movie shows a little bit of his trial, but this is one time where I found myself wishing that more of a movie took place in a courtroom.