141 reviews
Excellent slow boil espionage thriller. Flawless performances, brilliant screenplay and a slap in the face to expected norms.
Good film, YES you have to pay attention. The first half of the film is excellent , it gets choppy and the narrative nearly goes off the rails.
There s a key moment in the film when the handler meets the main character's father, "The liberal Englishman academic", who is horrified of the thought of Israel. This is a position I have never seen said out loud in film or print by WESTERN media. Its tectonic. I was really surprised because Israel is an artifice, (its just no one admits it).
The acting is amazing as usual Martin Freeman steals the movie (he has nearly taken over from Phillip Seymour Hoffman) , and. Diane Kruger is EXCELLENT !
There s a key moment in the film when the handler meets the main character's father, "The liberal Englishman academic", who is horrified of the thought of Israel. This is a position I have never seen said out loud in film or print by WESTERN media. Its tectonic. I was really surprised because Israel is an artifice, (its just no one admits it).
The acting is amazing as usual Martin Freeman steals the movie (he has nearly taken over from Phillip Seymour Hoffman) , and. Diane Kruger is EXCELLENT !
- fashinrashin
- Aug 2, 2021
- Permalink
When a young woman is recruited by the Mossad, she is sent to Tehran to work undercover. However she soon warms to the place and people and this may risk not only her career but also the plans of her employers. The Operative is one of those slow spy thrillers, it takes its time to build the characters and attempts are made to connect audiences to Diane Kruger's character. However the actual presentation of the story has some real pacing issues where I lost the plot many times. I get that this is meant to be a character driven film. But film makers such as Polanski (Chinatown) and Sydney Pollack (Three Days of the Condor) have shown that the plot can take a backseat for characters. But there was still considerable amount of strings being pulled in the background to make it work. The stories were complex because there were many details that need to be uncovered. The Operative is convoluted because there is very little within the story and therefore the film makers try to hide that by dragging scenes out. By having scenes that are completely pointless. Diane Kruger is an extremely talented actress and this may actually be her best performance of her career. Her character is relatable to audiences but mysterious for them to ask the question who she really is. The rest of the cast feels rather wasted with other players including Martin Freeman, pop in and out of the picture. The movie on a technical level is competent but nothing shows of a unique vision. This makes The Operative feel like a generic spy caper that isn't even exciting. Perhaps if you browse by this film on Netflix and have nothing else to do, The Operative might be a film for that occasion. Otherwise, no recommendation from me.
- neobateman
- Mar 1, 2019
- Permalink
This was the first movie which had real scenes of Iran. Streets, people, accents, culture every thing was completely accurate. If you don't know anything about Iran and iranian people, you can trust every thing you watch in this movie. Of course some small details in streets, wasn't quite the same, but it was close.
Any way I think it is underrated and I don't understand why. It's not boring and I enjoyed watching it.
- zahraaerfani
- Sep 19, 2019
- Permalink
- duckdecoys
- Nov 14, 2021
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- sorceress2
- Dec 29, 2019
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- steventai-tw
- May 14, 2021
- Permalink
Good Cast. But the whole film built up to a climax that never happened. Ultimately dissapointing.
- merlinbiggs
- Sep 11, 2019
- Permalink
Decent movie although slow-paced.
The credits rolled just before the climax of the plot.
This is the equivalent of a sentence fragment... you'll want your two hours back.
The credits rolled just before the climax of the plot.
This is the equivalent of a sentence fragment... you'll want your two hours back.
I think this movie shows relatively realistic image of Iran , Iranian people and clash between Iran and Israel.
As an Iranian I enjoyed the movie. unlike some of similar movies about Iran , all Iranian characters are good hearted people with no Iranian interrogators or such. also I like that -despite having Israeli production- the involvement of Mossad on Iranian scientist assassination and sabotaging Iran's nuclear program is depicted without hesitation. Acting was good and Iran's streets and atmosphere shown believable and almost perfect ... there is no Opel Astra police cars or old Volvo Station wagons in Iran though.
I gave is 8 of 10.
- taghiramzi
- Aug 4, 2019
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- thinkMovies
- Aug 25, 2021
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- FrenchEddieFelson
- Jul 28, 2019
- Permalink
Director Y. Adler brings novel - The English Teacher, to the screen. The movie is basically a solidly crafted spy thriller about a woman recruited by the Israeli intelligence agency to work undercover in Tehran. The tale itself - of the spy who got in too deep and let their emotions best them - is one as old as the spy thriller genre, unfortunately the movie doesn't bring a lot of new or fresh 'things' to the table.
Martin Freeman plays nicely a British Jewish man in Germany as Mossad agent who recruits very good multilingual Diane Kruger's newbie to go undercover in Iran. in that regard, "The Operative" tries to set up a friendship between Thomas (Freeman) and Rachel (Kruger), but that dynamic never truly shines on screen. The film's biggest problem is that despite being billed as a thriller, it isn't exactly, well, thrilling. Also, "The Operative" isn't enough fast-paced as spy movie, yet there is enough going on to keep your attention for the two-hour run time. Actually, film is more an espionage tale that's more John LeCarre than 007, with a complexity of plotting that might make viewers desire a second viewing.
Rating: 7- (because I love spy movies)
Martin Freeman plays nicely a British Jewish man in Germany as Mossad agent who recruits very good multilingual Diane Kruger's newbie to go undercover in Iran. in that regard, "The Operative" tries to set up a friendship between Thomas (Freeman) and Rachel (Kruger), but that dynamic never truly shines on screen. The film's biggest problem is that despite being billed as a thriller, it isn't exactly, well, thrilling. Also, "The Operative" isn't enough fast-paced as spy movie, yet there is enough going on to keep your attention for the two-hour run time. Actually, film is more an espionage tale that's more John LeCarre than 007, with a complexity of plotting that might make viewers desire a second viewing.
Rating: 7- (because I love spy movies)
The best or most action packed was the last 10 minutes of the move which just ended without any real closure. If the movie continued another half hour with a proper ending, I would have given it 8 stars. It was a shame how it ended right in the middle of a great action packed segment.
This started off OK I suppose, but then it became confusing and boring with the flashbacks and chopped up order which was totally confusing for most viewers.
The two leads did a good job considering what they were given, so you certainly can't fault them.
I'd recommend watching this only if you really can't find something else because this is not a film that you're going to remember.
The two leads did a good job considering what they were given, so you certainly can't fault them.
I'd recommend watching this only if you really can't find something else because this is not a film that you're going to remember.
"The Operative," a gripping thriller that unfolds the story of a covert Israeli agent dispatched to Tehran. Her mission involves planting a bomb to eliminate nuclear scientists and infiltrating an electronics factory associated with nuclear issues. The film, released in 2019, explores the complexities of espionage and the geopolitical tensions surrounding nuclear activities.
As the narrative progresses, the tension rises, unveiling the challenges and moral dilemmas faced by the protagonist in the world of espionage. The film navigates through the intricacies of political intrigue, personal sacrifices, and the blurred lines between loyalty and betrayal.
As the narrative progresses, the tension rises, unveiling the challenges and moral dilemmas faced by the protagonist in the world of espionage. The film navigates through the intricacies of political intrigue, personal sacrifices, and the blurred lines between loyalty and betrayal.
A terrible, disgusting ending to what otherwise is an okay but forgettable movie... I will give 3 thumbs up to the actors.
- valerianogn
- Sep 21, 2019
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- mathomas-28053
- Feb 22, 2020
- Permalink
This was an entertaining flick. Acting was great and I appreciate the way the story unfolded. The only issue I had was Rachel being a Mossad spy. It was beyond absurd that she didn't speak Arabic or Hebrew. She was also chronically weak during the operations. I find it hard to believe that any spy agency would put their agents in these situations without more Intel and confidence. The other characters had enough interest to keep watching. I know a lot of folks didn't enjoy the ending but I love a movie that ends in the way it did. I also don't understand reviews that reveal spoilers! Why? I just want to read that the movie is worth watching.
- dispatcher-00783
- Dec 15, 2022
- Permalink
Diane Kruger is a very special beauty. And a very talented actress. A unique personality. This is her movie, she's on screen almost all the time. Martin Freeman is very natural and credible in the role of Thomas. Cas Anvar is just as good in the role of Farhad. But the film could have been much better, there are gaps in the
script and in directing. Just 5 stars, all for Diane Kruger and the other actors.
- RodrigAndrisan
- Sep 5, 2019
- Permalink
In essence, a decent spy film. Interesting, in my case, for Diane Kruger and Martin Freeman. The end can be the most satisfactory. A film about Iran, with not so bad romance story and not the worst portrait of independent woman. Good acting, decent crafted story .
- Kirpianuscus
- Nov 18, 2021
- Permalink