ofpsmith
This movie like 12 Angry Men(1957) takes place mostly in one room. Obviously there are scenes outside of the room, nut most of the important scenes are in the cell. I love the casting for Adolf Eichmann and Avner Less, especially. And seeing as how these are the two characters that we see the most in the film that is a good thing. Thomas Kretschmann plays Eichmann brilliantly. Troy Garity is also good as Captain Less. The movie often shows flashbacks of the war during the interrogation scenes. But mainly I like the scenes themselves. The movie mainly focuses on Avner dealing with the controversy of interrogating Eichmann. Everyone seems to be against him. Things get worse when they find out that Avner's dad was killed at Auschwitz. And Kretschmann as Eichmann is perfect. He seems to capture perfectly the emotions of an evil man trying to cover up his horrible crimes. He even tells Avner that he was never against the Jewish people. It's a very good movie, so go check it out.
Andres Salama
This acceptable biopic deals basically with the pretrial interrogation of Adolf Eichmann after he was captured in Argentina and brought to Israel. In the interrogation, he insists his role in the Holocaust was minor, just a sort of transport commissioner who has to make sure the different prisoners arrive on time at each concentration camp. This is contrasted with flashbacks from Eichmann during World War II, showing him directly in charge of the extermination of Jews. His main interrogator is a police captain, and the movie shows some of his background, how his role affects his family life, etc. German actor Thomas Kretschmann, who has made a career of playing Nazi officers (in Downfall, Stalingrad and Valkyrie, for instance) is very good as the Nazi criminal. So is Troy Garity playing the Israeli detective. Maybe the movie would have benefited from a larger scope – it includes nothing of Eichmann during the trial itself, very few about his life in Argentina, his capture is dealt in just one quick scene. And there were a few scenes that sounded false to me. For example, Eichmann is seen making love to a Hungarian mistress during the war and to get her hot he tells her the amounts of people he ordered killed. Or in another scene the same lady dares Eichmann to kill a baby. Maybe it really happened but the way it is portrayed in the movie sounded downright false and tasteless to me. These few objections aside, this is not a bad film.
hanabluma
The makers of this movie took advantage of the intrinsic implications of the evil life of Eichmann to make a film that adds nothing to the knowledge of the subject, but tries to "enliven" it with gratuitous nude scenes, incomprehensible and uninteresting forays into the interrogator's private life, and reprehensible attempts at parallels between the lives of the Israeli and the Nazi. Steven Fry played his role as if he were running a sales office, the rest of the cast were uninteresting at best. And no, the Eichmann portrayal really wasn't particularly outstanding - just less boring than the others. But what actor couldn't sink his teeth into Eichmann - essentially a blank slate onto which he could project whatever vision he and the director chose? What we have are movie-makers incapable of making a profound film hijacking a profound subject and pretending that they've done so. Talk about immoral
act_of_bob
I have to agree with everything lexo said about this drama; and I say drama because I was never wholly convinced I was witnessing history.When I bought this title I was expecting a detailed examination of "the architect of Hitler's plan"; no matter the bias. All I received in return was a turgid family drama set against a few pointless conversations between the police captain Less and Eichmann. Once sensationalised by dubious episodes in the man's Nazi career all that remained were constant accusations and denials by Less and Eichmann. Admittedly this man may not have been exciting or even entertaining within the Nazi regime, but one thing he most certainly was, was life-changing.There is an interested audience for films that seek to examine the minds of the "architects of Hitler's plan", as Oliver Hirschbiegel's "Downfall" has shown. Studying German history I was more concerned with the Socialists than the National Socialists, but the Nazi motivation and objectives are still a fascinating aspect of 20th Century History. "Eichmann" however does nothing to advance the understanding of the Nazis, nor the Eichmann that oiled the wheels of the Holocaust, and seems more like Jewish apologia for interrogating Eichmann by a man who suffered personal tragedy in the Holocaust, convicted him on mere supposition and rumour, and murdered him because of intense social and political pressure.
AD
