Former Mossad agents Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson and Ciarán Hinds are heroes in Israel for their roles in bringing down a Nazi war criminal, but was their long-ago mission really as clear-cut and triumphant as it appears?
Former Mossad agents Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson and Ciarán Hinds are heroes in Israel for their roles in bringing down a Nazi war criminal, but was their long-ago mission really as clear-cut and triumphant as it appears?
Based on the 2007 Israeli film, Ha-Hov, this intriguing psychological thriller unfolds in 1997 and 1965, when the youthful trio (Jessica Chastain, Marton Csokas and Sam Worthington) undertake a dangerous undercover mission in Cold War East Berlin to track down and kidnap Nazi doctor Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen), the so-called 'Surgeon of Birkenau'.
At first, the fidgety back-and-forth storytelling slows the film down, but when the agents seize their prey a gripping battle of wits unfolds as the wily captive tries to exploit his captors' weak spots.
There's one twist too many when the film returns to 1997, but the performances hold up throughout, with Chastain doing a particularly sterling job as the younger Mirren.
