After the collapse of the Third Reich, many Nazis who survived and avoided capture fled Germany, and Adolf Eichmann – one of the main architects of the Holocaust – stood as the most prominent figure to escape. With 2018’s Operation Finale, we get a look at attempts to bring him to justice.

Set in 1960, Mossad agent Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac) leads a team of Israeli operatives who track down and deal with former Nazis. On a tip, the Israelis learns the potential whereabouts of Adolf Eichmann (Ben Kingsley) in Argentina.

This sends Malkin and his colleagues to Buenos Aires to capture the notorious Nazi. Inevitable complications arise along the way.

Along with his brother Paul, director Chris Weitz came to prominence nearly 20 years ago as part of the team behind 1999’s mega-hit American Pie. Most of his work since then comes from comedy or fantasy like Twilight: New Moon.

This makes Finale a departure for Weitz, and not an unsuccessful one. However, I can’t claim the film indicates that Weitz boasts a great feel for the material, as Finale becomes a good but not terrific effort.

Because I maintain an interest in World War II and related subjects, Finale lands right in my wheelhouse, and it should turn into a project that works for me. As I alluded, it does, but it doesn’t connect in quite the satisfying manner I’d prefer.

I don’t expect Finale to pack the action punch found in 1978’s Boys from Brazil or 1976’s Marathon Man, fictionalized tales that use the “Nazi hunting” motif. However, Weitz tells the tale in a manner that makes the material a little on the dry side.

Of course, Weitz finds himself beholden to a history in a way that didn’t impact Brazil or Man. This means he can’t expand the action in a way that violates real events, so he ends up constrained to a degree.

Still, I think Weitz could’ve brought a bit more urgency to the tale. Though it occasionally bursts to life, too much of it feels a little flat and undramatic.

Though inherently simple, Finale actually works best in the one-on-one scenes between Isaac and Kingsley. The two show good chemistry and ignite some sparks during their characters’ mental chess matches.

All the actors do nicely, really, though I must note Kingsley is far too old for his role. The real Eichmann was 54 in 1960, whereas Sir Ben will turn 75 this year, and he never makes much sense as a man we know should be much younger.

Still, Kingsley’s talent helps us suspend some of that disbelief, as he gives Eichmann the appropriate qualities. It’d be easy to turn Eichmann into a standard “monster”, but Kingsley offers a three-dimensional turn on the part.

With a fascinating story and a fine cast, Finale has too many positives at play for me to find much fault in it. However, the movie seems a little clinical and flat. It’s still an interesting effort but it’s not one that excels.

Operation Finale appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 1.85:1 on this Blu-ray Disc. The movie boasted a pleasing image.

Overall sharpness worked well. Some wider shots veered a smidgen toward the soft side, but they remained in the minority during this largely accurate presentation.

I saw no shimmering or jaggies, and edge haloes remained absent. Print flaws also failed to become an issue.

Like most modern movies, Finale went a lot of orange and teal, as those tones dominated the presentation. Predictable as the colors tended to be, the Blu-ray rendered them in an appropriate manner.

Blacks looked dark and deep, while shadows seemed smooth and concise. I felt happy with this high-quality presentation.

As for the film’s DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack, it added involvement to the proceedings. The five channels used music in an involving manner, and various effects also broadened the soundscape in a moderate way.

While not a film packed with action, Finale came to life enough to work the speakers well. Various vehicles and elements of violence moved around the room in a convincing pattern to contribute some life to the tale.

Audio quality worked well. Speech seemed concise and distinctive, while effects appeared accurate and natural. Louder moments – such as from various weapons – boasted fine punch.

Music was warm and full, with a good level of punch from percussive elements. All of this left us with a satisfactory “B” soundtrack.

Among the extras, we find an audio commentary from director Chris Weitz. He offers a running, screen-specific look at story/characters, facts and liberties, cast and performances, sets and locations, effects, music and design choices.

Overall, Weitz offers a fairly informative chat, though he can seem a bit dry at times. Still, he covers a reasonably good array of domains and makes this a largely worthwhile discussion.

Inside the Operation runs six minutes, 24 seconds and includes notes from Weitz, producers Brian Kavanaugh-Jones, Jason Spire and Fred Berger, David Brisbin, chief Mossad consultant Avner Avraham and actors Ben Kingsley, Oscar Isaac, Torben Liebrecht, Haley Lu Richardson, Nick Kroll, Melanie Laurent, and Matthew Orton. It gives us a basic promotional featurette with general notes about the film but nothing insightful.

The disc opens with ads for Creed II, Papillon (2018), Mile 22 and Colette. No trailer for Finale appears here.

A second disc presents a DVD copy of Finale. It provides the same extras as the Blu-ray.

At its core, Operation Finale tells a strong tale, and it boasts an excellent cast. The end result becomes a fairly engaging effort but it seems a little less dynamic than I’d like. The Blu-ray brings very good picture and audio along with bonus materials headlined by a reasonably informative commentary. Expect a good but not great historical drama.