Movie Review

Operation Finale takes too many shortcuts toward final goal

For almost 80 years, there has been no easier type of movie to make than one that featured Nazis as bad guys. A movie can only go one direction after introducing an actual Nazi or Nazi sympathizer, and it’s up to the filmmakers to lead the audience to that conclusion in an interesting and satisfying manner.

Operation Finale, which details the capture and trial of Adolf Eichmann, one of the main organizers of the Holocaust, should be the ultimate slam dunk of a movie. A group of Israeli Mossad agents, led by Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac), get a tip that Eichmann (Ben Kingsley) is alive and well in Argentina, 15 years after World War II ended.

However, with plenty of Nazi sympathizers, including Eichmann’s son, Klaus (Joe Alwyn), on the lookout for Jews in Argentina, capturing and extracting Eichmann is no easy task. Not only that, but the Mossad team must stem their urges to kill Eichmann in Argentina instead of waiting for him to get justice back in Israel.

The film, directed by Chris Weitz and written by first-time screenwriter Matthew Orton, has a tone that is all over the place. You would expect the film to be a straight-up drama, and while there is plenty of that to be had, the filmmakers also insert a lot of jokey banter. Whatever the reasons for its inclusion, the result is an undercutting of any tension that might have existed.

You would hope that, creative license aside, the filmmakers tried to stay true to the facts of the events depicted. Whether they did or not is unclear, but many moments feel right out of the Screenwriting 101 book. Weitz and Orton stage multiple scenes in a way that make the drama seem manufactured instead of organic, often having characters escape at just the right moment.

Malkin is the de facto lead character, and the sequences with Malkin and Eichmann together are among the best in the film. However, there are also a lot of unnecessary sidebars, including a former relationship between Malkin and fellow agent Hanna Elian (Melanie Laurent). None of them are ever properly explored, and therefore none of them pay dividends for the main plot.

Despite the film’s faults, the actors keep it watchable thanks to their unique skills. Kingsley has been able to go back-and-forth between good and evil characters throughout his entire career. He plays Eichmann with a subtlety that few others could manage. Isaac, Laurent, Alwyn, and Haley Lu Richardson also make the most of their roles.

For a film that should have gone from A to B with relative ease, Operation Finale takes too many narrative shortcuts. It winds up feeling like a light version of Argo when it could have been so much more.

Melanie Laurent and Oscar Isaac in Operation Finale.

Melanie Laurent and Oscar Isaac in Operation Finale

Photo by Valeria Florini/Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures

Melanie Laurent and Oscar Isaac in Operation Finale.

Movie Review

Jesse Eisenberg digs deep into family ties in A Real Pain

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg in A Real Pain

Photo courtesy of Searchlight Pictures

Kieran Culkin and Jesse Eisenberg in A Real Pain.

Comedy film duos have a long history, from Laurel and Hardy in the 1920s and ‘30s to Tina Fey and Amy Poehler in movies like Baby Mama. But the majority of duos have either been friends or work partners, relationships that can be close, but not as close as family. The new film A Real Pain aims for the comedy that a great duo can bring, but hits deeper because the two leads are related to each other.

Benji (Kieran Culkin) and David (Jesse Eisenberg) are first cousins who decide to take a trip to Poland to visit the childhood home of their grandmother, who has recently passed. Their personalities could not be more different, with David buttoned-down and reserved and Benji extremely social, if a little wild. This contrast is on display from the moment they leave on their trip, affecting almost every aspect of their journey.

The two meet up with a diverse tour group in Poland, including guide James (Will Sharpe), recently divorced Marcia (Jennifer Grey), married couple Mark (Daniel Oreskes) and Diane (Liza Sadovy), and Eloge (Kurt Egyiawan), an African man who has converted to Judaism. As the group visits various historical sites, David confronts contrasting feelings about Benji, who goes from charming to abrasive seemingly at the drop of a hat.

Written and directed by Eisenberg, the film is about both the family we have and the history of those who came before us. With Benji and David being Jewish and their grandmother having escaped from the Nazis in World War II, the themes hit harder than they might in other situations. Eisenberg takes care to honor his Jewish ancestors both in the way he has Benji and David talk about their grandmother and the places they visit.

But even though emotions are heightened due to the significance of the trip, the film is far from a dour affair. Benji keeps things interesting at almost all times with a series of impulsive decisions, many that are entertaining for both the tour group and the audience watching the film. He is one of those film characters that is great to watch on screen, but would likely be too much to handle if you were confronted with him in real life.

The relationship between Benji and David is a complicated one; the two obviously have love for each other, but they rarely see eye-to-eye on the best way to approach certain situations. This tension keeps the film grounded, and Eisenberg does a great job at showing the push-and-pull the two cousins have with each other. The little moments, especially when Benji and David go their separate ways, say a lot as the characters try to reconcile where each is at in their respective lives.

Eisenberg has always been an understated performer, so this role is almost perfect for him. Culkin, fresh off his Emmy-winning role in HBO’s Succession, is an ideal foil for Eisenberg, as he has a manic energy that he can control or not control at will. It’s also nice to see Grey in action again, as she brings just the right touch to her supporting role.

The drama in A Real Pain comes from the life experiences of its two main characters, which are on full display despite the story only doling out details in small doses. The film is subtle yet powerful, a testament to Eisenberg’s filmmaking ability and the actors never trying to make too much of their scenes.

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A Real Pain opens in theaters on November 15.

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