A Just Finale
I’ve told myself many times not to watch another Holocaust film or documentary. What more can possibly be learned? When I noted in a summary at Netflix that the great Ben Kingsley plays Adolph Eichmann in Operation Finale (2018), I added it to my list. I wasn’t disappointed. The psychological games played by the mastermind of The Final Solution and his captors, one in particular, are the film’s best aspect. Of course, one of the problems in historical fare is that the outcome is known, so the suspense is diminished. To make the narrative more movie-like, the creators conjured suspense from the fate of a captor who stays behind, the history of which is probably not known to 99% of the world. He is played ably by Oscar Isaac. France’s Melanie Laurent, who is compiling an impressive list of credits not only in acting but directing and writing, plays the doctor assigned to sedate the war criminal. In real life, it was a male. I’d guess poetic license was taken in other areas as well. No matter, the core of the film is solid. The capture and escape are realistic, grounded. I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t recognize two members of the cast that have been around for decades: Peter Strauss, and Greta Scacchi as Mrs. Eichmann. Flashbacks of atrocities are shown, and for the millionth time one wonders what had come over so many Germans as to have them murder on such a grand scale — and so blithely. The narrative ends with a touching scene of Isaac’s character envisioning a visit from his sister and her three children, who were killed by monsters. Only the coldest of hearts would not be affected by it. 19,000 users at IMDb have rated Operation Finale, forging to a consensus of 6.5 on a scale of ten. It is geared to fans of Kingsley, who has added another unforgettable character to his awesome canon, and to those still interested in the Holocaust. Made on a budget of $24 million, it returned $17 million in the USA. Its foreign take is not available at Box Office Mojo. My guess is it broke about even after that and DVD sales, rentals and streaming. It runs two hours. It was directed by Chris Weitz, a New Yorker, who is piling up credits on the big and small screen as a producer, writer, director and actor. The screenplay was written by Matthew Orton, his first, a promising debut. Here’s Kingsley in character:
It looked like the outcome was going to be disappointing for the floating book shop on this gorgeous spring day when suddenly Danny, one of my all-time best customers, showed just as I’d begun to break down the array. While he was sorting through the non-fiction for the eleven books he would take home, a young man approached and bought the two massive Stephen King novels, Insomnia and The Duma Key, I’d prominently displayed. My thanks, and also to young Bek, who purchased You Are a Badass®: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero, and to the woman who selected a paperback in Russian. Thanks also to whomever took the time to read a number of pages of one of my books at Amazon.
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