Operation Finale is a film about a very interesting part of history. After the Second World War ended, many of the high ranking Nazi officials managed to escape Europe. Through an underground network and so-called ‘ratlines’ many of them were smuggled off to South-America where many of them lived out their remaining days in Argentina, Peru and Bolivia. Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley) was one of these men.
What made him special was his role in the plan that came to be known as ‘the final solution’. Eichmann was charged with making sure deportations were organized as efficiently as possible and he was very good at his job.
Operation Finale tells the story of a group of Israeli spies who were sent to Argentina to capture Eichmann. Once Eichmann was brought to Israel he stood trial for his crimes against humanity. During the trial Eichmann repeatedly stated he had merely followed orders but that was not enough to prevent his conviction. One of the people present during the trial was Hannah Arendt who coined the term ‘banality of evil’ after seeing how insignificant a man Eichmann was. Before the trial people thought Eichmann was a mustache twirling villain but in reality he was merely an old man who blindly obeyed orders instead of thinking for himself.
Operation Finale is directed by Chris Weitz, and stars Ben Kingsley, Oscar Isaac, Lior Raz and Mélanie Laurent. It will be released in the U.K. on September 14th, 2018 and in the U.S. on August 29th, 2018. For international release dates click here.
Are you familiar with the story of Adolf Eichmann? Let us know in the comments!
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