The True Story Behind The Film ‘Operation Finale’

Adolf Eichmann's capture and trial inspires new Oscar Isaac movie.

operation finale
Operation Finale (Imdb)

After World War II ended, Adolf Hitler’s deadliest lieutenant, the man known as the “Architect of the Holocaust,” escaped. He ran to Bueno Aires, where he became Ricardo Klement, an average man living a normal life with his wife and two kids in a suburban home. But on May 11, 1960, after months of meticulous planning, Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann was thrown to the ground, shoved into the backseat of a car, tied up, gagged and blindfolded, threatened with death and driven to a safe house for interrogation.

This undertaking was carried out by Israeli intelligence operatives, who were acting on behalf of the Israeli government, reports Smithsonian Magazine. They never told the Argentinian authorities about their mission. Eichmann was brought to Israel to stand trial on 15 counts of war crimes perpetrated against the Jewish people and against humanity.

A new film, Operation Finale, looks into this true story. The movie covers the entire operation, from locating Klement and confirming his true identity, to his capture, 11-day interrogation, return to Israel, and finally, the beginning of the trial.

The movie stars Oscar Isaac as Peter Malkin, and for the most part, sticks to the facts, writes Smithsonian. The biggest deviation is that the doctor on the operation was a man, not the female love interest of Malkin, a Mossad agent. You can watch the trailer above.

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