The 1960 capture of Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann by Israeli spies who tracked* him to Argentina is a well-known story.

Mossad agent Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac), though not the leader of his team, was the one responsible for physically grabbing Eichmann (Ben Kingsley) off the road near his house in the Buenos Aires suburbs*. The German was living there under the name Ricardo Klement, working at an auto factory and enjoying the respect of others in the area (both Argentines and escaped Germans) who felt this nation could also do with some ethnic cleansing*.

Israeli intelligence officials knew Nazis were hiding in Argentina, and in this case they got a lead when the daughter of a half-Jewish German (Haley Lu Richardson’s Sylvia) began dating a young man named Klaus Eichmann (Joe Alwyn) who bragged that his father was a big deal in the war.

The film suggests that some in power thought it was a waste of time to divert* intelligence resources from present-tense dangers to settling old scores. But Mossad operative Rafi Eitan (Nick Kroll) argued that bringing Eichmann to trial in Israel would be a major coup*. He was put in charge of the team that would violate Argentina’s sovereignty* in order to secure a criminal they doubted the nation would extradite* willingly.

Once Eichmann is blindfolded and bound on the top floor of the group’s safe house, the movie becomes explicitly about how one is to deal with those suspected of inhuman crimes.

Also, dealing with Eichmann is necessary because El Al, the airline that would be flying the disguised team back to Israel, decided it wouldn’t cooperate unless he signed a document saying he was willingly going to Israel to stand trial.

Team members take turns guarding Eichmann in between interrogation sessions, and are supposed to say nothing to him. But, seeing that other tactics* aren’t working, Malkin takes off the blindfold, gives him a cigarette and shaves him.

Whether Malkin truly allowed himself to see his prisoner as a person or not, Eichmann wound up signing that paper. After some Hollywood-y close calls, the team got him on a plane and in the air.SD-Agencies