The Operative Reviews

To be honest, I wasn’t really sure what to expect from this flick but since it was starring Diane Kruger, I thought I might as well check it out. Well, even though it apparently didn’t get much love when it was released, I thought it was not bad. First of all, Diane Kruger was basically born to play such characters and she gave here a really solid performance. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about Martin Freeman. Indeed, Freeman tried really hard to sell this supposedly seasoned spy but I never thought he was really convincing. Eventually, I think that someone like Michael Fassbender would have been more suitable or basically anyone who didn’t look like such a harmless Teddy Bear. On the other hand, I have to admit that he wasn’t really helped by the fact that his character didn’t make much sense. I mean, a British Jew working for the Mossad in Germany? Couldn’t they come up with something slightly less convoluted? Concerning the movie itself, I liked the realistic approach and I liked how they displayed that, in real life, you actually have all kinds of spies and not only the usual lethal killing machines. Unfortunately, even if the tone was fine and even if it all felt quite convincing, the story was slightly too murky. Indeed, for example, how was she actually recruited? In the same fashion, I don’t think I completely understood what was actually the purpose of most of her assignments/missions. Concerning the ending, during the 3^rd act, she went into full Jason Bourne mode which was rather predictable but it was fortunately not a deal-breaker. Anyway, to conclude, I might have been slightly too generous with my rating here but I have a weak spot for such gritty spy features and I think this one is worth a look, at least, if you like the genre.