Operation Finale
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer | Release Date: August 29, 2018 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
58
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 33 Critic Reviews
Positive:
15
Mixed:
18
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
83
Entertainment WeeklyChris NashawatyAug 22, 2018
It’s the psychological duel between the terrific Isaac and Kingsley as captor and prisoner that delivers the film’s most charged jolts of electricity. Read full review
80
Film ThreatAlan NgAug 28, 2018
You must see Operation Finale solely for this interaction between Malkin and Eichmann (Isaac and Kingsley). Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames BerardinelliAug 29, 2018
The movie, which is concerned primarily with the several weeks surrounding Eichmann’s capture, mixes factual elements with a few “Hollywood touches” to provide a compelling thriller. Read full review
75
RogerEbert.comGlenn KennyAug 29, 2018
Engrossing and a little moving. And Isaac is a very winning and effective messenger of Peter Malkin’s heroism and humanity. Read full review
75
The Seattle TimesSoren AndersenAug 29, 2018
It is the scenes in a Buenos Aires safe house between Eichmann (Ben Kingsley) and Mossad agent Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac), the leader of the abduction team, where “Operation Finale” departs from usual espionage-movie scenarios. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTom RussoAug 28, 2018
Notoriously remembered as a mastermind of the Final Solution, Eichmann was also infamous for the just-following-orders dispassion he maintained all the way through his trial, a banality that Kingsley channels expertly. Read full review
75
Movie NationRoger MooreAug 27, 2018
You don’t expect a movie about The Holocaust to be flippant, glib almost. Read full review
75
UproxxVince ManciniAug 22, 2018
For the most part, Operation Finale is a good story, well told. Yet something about it isn’t entirely satisfying either. It deftly eschews the most simplistic takes, but what it offers in return — the banality of evil, essentially — isn’t quite groundbreaking either. Still, it’s more than worth it to watch Ben Kingsley and Oscar Isaac spar for a bit. Read full review
70
The New York TimesA.O. ScottAug 28, 2018
It’s a story very worth telling, told pretty well, with self-evident virtues and obvious limitations. Viewers who see it out of a sense of duty will find some pleasure in the bargain. Call it the banality of good. Read full review
70
The New YorkerRichard BrodyAug 27, 2018
Despite clichéd depictions of Nazi atrocities, the movie persuasively evokes, with its wealth of details, the slender threads on which historical events—and historical truth—depend. Read full review
70
The Hollywood ReporterJohn DeForeAug 22, 2018
Isaac and Kingsley bring quite a bit to Orton's dialogue, sometimes seeming to mean it at face value and sometimes inviting skepticism. Read full review
67
The PlaylistJoe BlessingSep 2, 2018
The film works best when at its simplest — two brilliant actors sparring with each other, Kingsley attempting to justify the horrific, Issac attempting to stay human and just while grappling with the embodiment of the Third Reich’s unfathomable legacy. Read full review
65
The AtlanticDavid SimsAug 29, 2018
The film is a diverting watch, anchored with enough of Weitz’s intriguing personal touches to keep it from feeling like a glorified History Channel special. Read full review
63
Philadelphia Daily NewsGary ThompsonAug 29, 2018
Isaac and Kingsley are game, and their scenes have decent dramatic tension, but of course the outcome is never in doubt, and in the end, Weitz is left to rely on more contrived thriller elements to give the movie a finishing kick, which feels nonetheless like a letdown. Read full review
63
Chicago TribuneKatie WalshAug 28, 2018
Unfortunately, Operation Finale feels a bit behind the ball when it comes to the dramatic true story. Read full review
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