Yuval Adler’s new thriller fails to deliver the action and leaves viewers wanting

The last decade has seen a number of Israeli serial TV dramas that have enjoyed great international acclaim. Among these are several well-made and gripping spy stories, which have been particularly successful among both viewers and critics. Homeland, Mossad 101, and False Flag are prime examples. Feature films, at the same time, have not been doing so well and, sadly, The Operative is no exception. Based on The English Teacher, a novel written by former Israeli intelligence officer Yiftach Reicher-Atir, it promises suspense and action, but what we get is a lukewarm, at times tedious, film with a less than persuasive plot.

The Operative is the story of a young woman (Diane Kruger) with some Jewish background who is recruited by Mossad and sent on a mission to Iran. The message of the film is not very clear; it’s possibly an attempt at exploring the moral dilemmas that a spy must grapple with: does the end justify the means? Does our loyalty to friends and loved ones come before our loyalty to the cause? Can love conquer all? None of these strike me as original or exciting, and the answers given are predictable clichés.

Even though life can often be unrealistic, when as viewers we keep encountering unrealistic elements in the plot, the film loses its hold over us. One example is the high-profile electronic company based in Tehran that doesn’t have a surveillance or security system.

The characters and their relationships are not developed far enough. The turns of the storyline don’t hang together in a meaningful and coherent whole. There is plenty of suspense along the way, but thrown about in a somewhat random manner, and many of our questions are left unanswered.

By Agi Erdos

The Operative is currently screening at UK Jewish Film Festival in London (14 Nov), Cambridge (24 Nov) and Yorkshire (11 Dec). See JR listings for info or visit ukjewishfilm.org.