Fantastic!

Better Late Then Never

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Adolf Eichmann, wanted in connection with millions of deaths, is suspected to be living incognito in Argentina. Mossad, Israel's secret intelligence organization is determined to bring Eichmann to justice . As Eichmann (Robert Duvall , also producer) was captured by a team of Mossad and Shin Bet agents led by Peter Markin (Arliss Howard) in San Fernando, Buenos Aires, an industrial community 20 km north of the center of Buenos Aires on May 11, 1960. The Mossad agents had arrived in Buenos Aires in April 1960 after Eichmann's identity was confirmed. After observing the suspect's routine for many days, they determined that he usually arrived home by bus from his work as foreman at a Mercedes-Benz factory around the same time every evening and planned to seize him when he was walking beside an open field from the bus stop to his house at 14 Garibaldi . As Eichmann got off a bus , a Mossad agent engaged him, asking him in Spanish if he had a moment ; Eichmann was frightened and attempted to leave, but while blinded by Mossad headlights two Mossad men seized him and wrestled him to the ground. After a struggle, he was brought to the car and hidden down on the floor. Eichmann told his captors later that as soon as they told him to keep quiet or they would shoot him, he knew he had been captured by Israelis. Eichmann was brought to a Mossad safe house, Tira, where he was kept for nine days, during which time his identity was double checked and confirmed .This is a tense and thrilling reenactment of the capture of Eichmann, posing as Ricardo Klement , though contains excessive dialogs and little action . Being rightly based on a book written by Peter Markin as some years later , Peter Malkin, the member of the kidnapping team actually assigned to seize the suspect, wrote ¨Eichmann in My Hands¨, which describes the preparation for and details of the capture, while exploring Eichmann's character and motivations . The picture deals with the Israeli effort to kidnap Eichmann, as seen from the perspective of the leading agent Peter Markin who executed the mission along with an ample focus to Eichmann's own explanations as to the holocaust he committed . These deeds were previously adapted in ¨The House on Garibaldi Strret¨(1969) by Peter Collinson with Topol , Janet Suzman and Martin Landau . The motion picture was professionally realized by William A Graham who displays enough off-beat touches to keep things interesting , it was nominated for 2 Primetime Emmys and another 1 win & 5 nominations . William A Graham has directed various TV series and episodes as ¨The fugitive¨, ¨The Virginian¨, ¨Breaking point¨ and occasionally for cinema as ¨Return to the Blue Lagoon¨, Waterhole¨ , ¨Guyana tragedy ¨ and film-making several Western as ¨Montana¨ (90) ¨Billy the Kid¨ (89) , ¨Last days of Frank and Jesse James¨ (86) and ¨Harry Tracy , the last of the Wild Bunch¨.The picture was well based on real events , these are the followings : Israel's official intelligence agency, Mossad, had as one of its principal assigned tasks the pursuit and capture of accused Nazi war criminals. Throughout the 1950s, many Jews and other victims of the Holocaust also dedicated themselves to finding Eichmann and other notorious Nazis. Among them was the Jewish Nazi hunter Simon Wiesenthal. In 1954, Wiesenthal saw a letter received by an Austrian Baron from an associate living in Buenos Aires, saying Eichmann was in Argentina. He was captured by Mossad operatives in Argentina and taken to Israel to face trial in an Israeli court . Eichmann was drugged to appear drunk by an Israeli doctor included in the Mossad team and dressed as a flight attendant. He was smuggled out of Argentina on board a plane which a few days before had transported an Israeli delegation to the 150th anniversary celebration of Argentina's independence from Spain. For some time the Israeli government denied involvement in Eichmann's capture, claiming that he had been taken by Jewish volunteers who eagerly turned him over to Israeli authorities. Negotiations followed between Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and Argentine president , while the abduction was met from radical right sectors in Argentina with a violent wave of antisemitism, carried on the streets and including assaults, torture and bombings . In Israel Eichman faced trial in a court on 15 criminal charges, including crimes against humanity and war crimes. He was found guilty and executed by hanging in 1962. He is the only person to have been executed in Israel on conviction by a civilian court

As the title implies, this isn't a film about Eichmann's trial and execution, it's about Malkin's role in the capture of Eichmann and his imprisonment before his flight to face his accusers. Made for TV movies are usually mediocre affairs, but in all honesty The Man Who Captured Eichmann is head & shoulders above average. This is largely due to the exceptional acting abilities of the two main protagonists, played by Robert Duvall and Arliss Howard. Duvall is superb as Eichmann, the bureaucratic SS pen pusher whose ruthless efficiency sent millions of innocent people to their deaths in the Nazi Europe of the 1940's. His physical likeness is uncanny, and he does a fine job with the German accent and Eichmann's cold, matter-of-fact mannerisms. Howard is equally as impressive as Malkin, the Israeli Secret Service agent whostrikes up conversations with his captive at their hideout in Argentina, following Eichmann's capture. He is very impressive portraying his character's roller-coaster ride of emotions, from bewilderment and frustration to despair, anger and loss. The movie itself is good in that it keeps things simple, from a short intro showing how the Israeli's learned of Eichmann's hideout, to the formation of the team sent to Argentina to kidnap Eichmann and bring him to Israel to stand trial for his horrendous crimes against humanity. It wastes no time in getting to the high point of the piece, the abduction of Eichmann outside his modest home in a Buenos Aires suburb. The remainder of the movie sees Malkin go against his directives and strike up a relationship with his quarry, asking the questions that have haunted him since the war, such as "how did it happen", "why did it happen", and "why you?". The performances are spellbinding. Highly recommended for anyone with even a passing interest in the subject matter or anyone who enjoys marveling at performers at the top of their game.

I think it was a reasonably interesting film. However, the majority of the film focuses on the relationship between Eichmann and one of his captors. The film could have been excellent if the very best character actors ever were used. Robert Duvall is good but he is not in the same league as De Niro or Pacino.I'm not suggesting that they should have played the part but you need a method actor for a character as complex as that. Some things were not convincing - the two weren't supposed to talk (were the doors sound proofed that no one knew) and where was the tension involved in this. Eichmanns family were looking for him but no real tension there - everyone knows the outcome. Perhaps the filmmakers should have bent the truth a bit and had the Israeli headquarters nearly discovered.Why were there so many characters on the Israeli team with none really given a chance to make an impression on the viewer?I kept waiting for something to happen really, some account of Eichmanns trial but it just ends with him flying off to Israel.

I knew a movie with Robert Duvall in the lead would have to have a pretty plausible explanation for going straight to video ,and of course,this is a made for TV film which just goes to show how far Duvall's amazing acting potential stands.It was quite well told,and was of course,brilliantly acted by all the leads involved.Eichmann's story was interesting and factual.We see him waver between his past and present worlds as a one time savage war crimanal,responsible for unspeakable acts of human atrocity,to his present state as a feeble,helpless old man who evokes genuine human sympathy.A quite impressive made for TV movie.Well worth seeing.