'Operation Finale' Thrills at the Fall KCET Cinema Series on August 28
Q&A immediately following with producer Fred Berger.
In a mission nearly impossible, “Operation Finale” brings to life one of the most daring covert operations in modern history. Starring Golden Globe winner Oscar Isaac (“Star Wars: The Last Jedi,“ “Ex Machina“) and Academy Award winner Sir Ben Kingsley (“Gandhi,“ “Schindler’s List“), the film vividly captures the ingenious and brilliantly executed mission to capture Adolf Eichmann, one of the chief architects of the Holocaust.
Fifteen years after the end of World War II, acting on irrefutable evidence, a top-secret team of Israeli agents travels to Argentina where Eichmann (Kingsley) has been in hiding with his family. In attempting to sneak him out of Argentina to stand trial in Israel while being pursued by the country’s right-wing forces, agent Peter Malkin (Isaac) is forced to engage Eichmann in an intense and gripping game of cat-and-mouse with life-and-death stakes.
“Operation Finale” is directed by Chris Weitz (“About a Boy,“ “The Twilight Saga: New Moon“) from a screenplay by Matthew Orton. Oscar Isaac is also a producer, along with Brian Kavanaugh-Jones and Fred Berger under their Automatik company and Jason Spire’s Inspire Entertainment. The film also stars Mélanie Laurent and Nick Kroll in supporting roles.
“I think the film became more and more timely during the making of it,” Weitz told The Hollywood Reporter. “When we were shooting, Charlottesville happened, and we just experienced the huge anniversary of that. I think it’s important to remember what it’s like when demagogues can manipulate people, for the sake of getting power, to hating the other.”
Weitz also stressed that it goes beyond anti-Semitism: “It can be racism, anti-immigrant sentiment. These are dangerous things for a country that prides itself on democracy to encounter.”
“Operation Finale” will be released in theaters on August 28 by MGM. The film’s producers Fred Berger and Brian Kavanaugh Jones will be in attendance for a Q&A session immediately following the screening with host and Deadline film critic Pete Hammond, who can also be seen in KCET’s Must See Movies. The fall season of the KCET Cinema Series is generously sponsored by Deadline.com. The season began on August 14 and runs through October 9. Season passes are available online via Eventbrite and individual admissions are available at the door for $30 each.