Operation Finale is a gripping drama-thriller executive produced by Ron Schmidt (Foxcatcher, Letters to Juliet) and Matt Charman (Oasis). The film is based on an incredible true story. Directed by Chris Weitz (About a Boy), Operation Finale is an edge-of-your-seat historical thriller worth a look for anyone interested in intelligent films centered around WWII.

This true story follows Israeli special agent Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac) as he leads a mission to help bring down Nazi officer Adolph Eichmann (Ben Kingsley), a high in command Nazi official who helped orchestrate the holocaust (which led to the death of millions of Jewish people during WWII). Malkin's team also includes the brilliant Hanna Elian (Melanie Laurent) and other dedicated secret agents determined to bring Eichmann to justice.

Operation Finale has excellent production elements including gorgeous cinematography by the great Javier Aguirresarobe (The Others, The Sea Inside). The film's cinematography has a style which both preserves a filmic look while feeling more modern in approach. The costumes designed by Connie Balduzzi (The Colony, Focus) are true to the aesthetic and feeling of the time-period.

The music score composed by the brilliant Alexandre Desplat (Isle of Dogs, The Shape of Water, Moonrise Kingdom) is terrific throughout. The film's score drifts between beautifully melancholic pieces and exciting moments with gripping score cues designed to fit the film's thriller aspects like a glove. Desplat makes both the quiet and loud moments in the film pierce with precision.

Written by first time screenwriter Matthew Orton (who penned the upcoming Battle of Britain), this effort is a gripping dramatic-thriller with an important story to tell. Directed by Chris Weitz (About a Boy, American Pie), the film is a bit of a departure from the filmmaker's previous projects and yet it absolutely has the same kind of strong directorial style. The pacing and rhythm of the filmmaking keeps the storytelling momentum going and it all crescendos during the second half of Operation Finale with a quiet and compelling final scene. This is a genuinely gripping true-story thriller.

Operation Finale is an excellent film filled with terrific performances by the lead cast. Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley both deliver terrific performances in their respective roles. Isaac (who also produced the film) is particularly impressive with his role and he delves into this story with true dedication to the story. Operation Finale is a first-rate production which is worth seeing and exploring.

The Blu-ray:

Video:

Operation Finale is presented on Blu-ray with a 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition presentation. The film is presented in the original 1.85:1 widescreen theatrical aspect ratio. The film has a high bit-rate encode which helps to make the presentation more effective and impressive for the format. This is a strong presentation which delivers with good clarity, depth, and color reproduction. It is also free from issues such as banding or noticeable compression artifacts. This is a superb transfer of the film which is just about as good as the Blu-ray format can deliver.

Audio:

The audio is presented in 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio surround sound. The soundtrack has excellent use of the surround channels with the implementation of the sound-field carrying impressive sound effects during the action sequences. The score by composer Alexandre Desplat also sounds terrific here with great clarity and depth. The bass levels are superb and clean.

Optional subtitles are provided in English SDH (for the deaf and hard of hearing), Spanish, and French.

Extras:

Please Note:

This is a Blu-ray + DVD + Digital HD combo pack release. Operation Finale redeems in 4K on iTunes/Apple TV 4K.

Audio Commentary with Director Chris Weitz

Inside the Operation (HD, 6 min.) is a brief behind-the-scenes featurette about the production of the film, featuring interviews with director Chris Weitz and the film's cast.

Final Thoughts:

Operation Finale is an intelligent, engaging dramatic thriller which succeeds on it's own merits. The film has strong performances (particularly from the always-excellent Oscar Isaac). The film has an edge of your seat storytelling rhythm behind it which keeps the overall experience engrossing and entertaining. The Blu-ray release has excellent image-quality and is worth a look for anyone who enjoys a well crafted thriller.

Highly Recommended.

Neil Lumbard is a lifelong fan of cinema. He aspires to make movies and has written two screenplays on spec. He loves writing, and currently does in Texas.