THE OPERATIVE
US, Israel, 2019, 115 minutes, Colour.
Diane Kruger, Martin Freeman, Cass Anvar.
Directed by Yuval Adler.
Audiences fond of international espionage may have memories of John Le Carre’s novels and of the film versions as they watch The Operative. It is the same territory. There are many of the same issues. There is the role of the operative, the role of the control, the role of the authorities – and the planning of missions, undercover, secrecy, and dangers.
This is a film from Israel with an Israeli director. However, there is quite a lot of British background, especially in the character played by Martin Freeman, a British operative in Mossad, based in Germany.
So, this is a film about Mossad and its activities and, surprisingly, the main location for the operative in question here is, in fact, Tehran and Iran.
The operative in question is a woman with international background, ranging from Britain to Australia to Vancouver. Her father was a British academic. However, it emerges that she wanted to do something more significant with her life and approaches Mossad in Germany. The operative is played by Diane Kruger, credible as an undercover agent, controlled by Martin Freeman, becoming more personally involved in her mission than is safe for her.
So, the film has strong Le Carre overtones.
As the film opens, the operative has disappeared and her controller is summoned by the authorities to explain. Dramatically, this gives the opportunity for the audience to learn about the operative, the background, her character, interpretation of what she has done.
After serving with background tasks, she becomes involved with what is really a political assassination in an elevator – which leads to her being considered for undercover work, a stronger job. She is assigned to Tehran as an English teacher and she fits in well into Iranian society, making friends, teaching children. However, she is commissioned to target a wealthy businessman who will then become an unknowing tool in a Mossad plan to destabilise the Iranian nuclear developments.
It is not necessarily giving away anything of the plot to indicate that the couple will fall in love and that there will be extreme complications.
While the film does have some exciting moments, these are not at the centre of the action. Rather, this is a psychological study of the operative, her response to getting a mission and trying to fulfil it, her trying to deal with the psychological and emotional implications, as well as a picture of her controller and his having to make decisions to be personally involved or not.
While the material could be considered somewhat familiar and the treatment of the story workmanlike, The Operative is successfully interesting and entertaining.
1. Espionage story? The 21st-century? Current situations around the world, the Middle East, Israel? The film going behind the scenes?
2. The German settings, the city of Leipzig and its detail? The presence of Mossad? The contrast with the Israeli settings for the brakes? The emphasis on Iran, the city of Teheran, its vistas, people, way of life, business, socials? The musical score?
3. The title, the working agent? The world of agents, recruiting, criteria, managers, supervision, ways of making contact, covers, missions, dangers, personal involvement?
4. Mossad, Israel, its agents throughout Europe and Asia? The single agent in Iran? The situation with sanctions, nuclear progress, the plan for selling defective material? The agent getting information?
5. Secrets and lies, for everyone involved, for covers for espionage, for interactions within Mossad?
6. The situation, Rachel missing, Thomas and his being urgently summoned, the team, the top stances, interviewing Thomas? Thomas and the occasion for telling Rachel story, the recapitulation, the explanations?
7. Diane Kruger as Rachel, her ancestry, father an academic, the Australian background, British, Vancouver? Her passport? Her life, motivations, doing something worthwhile? Thomas and his recruiting her, training, management? The local work?
8. Her being sent to Tehran, her teaching, this serving as a cover, her adapting to life there, liking it, the frequent returns to Germany? The further mission, identifying the past criminal, the lift and the assassination, the collateral damage?
9. Farhad, Mossad interest in him, his wealth, intentions, playboy style? Rachel, teaching his son, the bonds, the relationship, the attraction, the outings, the sexual contact, the affair? Socials, his ex-wife, his brother and business? The wedding, her being a guest? The effect continuing? Thomas’s reaction? The issue of the abortion and Thomas’s help?
10. The aim of the mission, getting the information about the company, contracts, the defective arms? The office, the plant? The friendly security guard – and her later killing him? Her going to the computers, sending the information? Maintaining her cover?
11. Her mission to drive the equipment, the dangers, her dress, identity, driving the truck, the associates, the military? Returning to Farhad?
12. Her disappearance, Farhad in Germany? The briefings?
13. The plan, Thomas to bring her in, the phone on the table, listening in on the plan, the sniper? Her shrewdness, leaving, Thomas shielding her
from the sniper?
14. Thomas, personalising his work, his future? Rachel and her future?
