Ben Kingsley stars as Nazi in hiding in 'Operation Finale.' (Courtesy Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). 

The summer movie season has come to a close. We are almost to the end of the lull between summer blockbusters and Oscar bait of the fall and winter. During this time, most films aren’t great but occasionally a decent one comes out. “Operation Finale” is one of those films.

The story follows Peter Malkin (Oscar Isaac) an Israeli secret agent whose job is to hunt down former Nazis and bring them to justice. After receiving a tip that Adolph Eichmann (Ben Kingsley), one of the architects of the “Final Solution,” might be living in Argentina, a plan is made to confirm his identity and bring him to Israel to stand trial.

Rating: ***½ (out of 5 stars)

Eichmann is identified and captured, but problems prevent them from bringing him to Israel. They can’t upset the local government, they must avoid being caught by other Nazis in exile and they must get Eichmann to go with them on his own free will. With time not on their side, the crew must do everything they can to bring back alive a man they despise.

“Operation Finale” is a slow burn thriller that doesn’t emphasize action, but relies on the ticking clock of easily one of the important missions of their lives. We meet characters that must remain humane to a monster and explore the monster’s humanity.

The film is directed by Chris Weitz, best known for co-directing the films “American Pie” and “About a Boy.” While the film is never truly an “edge of your seat nail biter,” we are treated to great performances. Isaac and Kingsley, both who have proven themselves to be great actors in the past, are fantastic. Other standouts include Melanie Laurent, as the crew’s doctor and Peter’s former flame, and comedian Nick Kroll as an Israeli adviser.

“Operation Finale” is a film that aims for Oscar glory, but falls somewhat short and likely will be forgotten by the time the nominations happen. However, it is absolutely worth seeing. Even though this type of story has been done better and more gut wrenching, this is still a solid film worthy of your time.

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“THE LANDING”

Finally, we get the “true” story of what happened to the Apollo 18 mission with the entirely fictitious film “The Landing.”

“The Landing” is a faux documentary about Bo Cunningham (Don Hannah), the only surviving member of Apollo 18’s crew. When the crew experiences a malfunction upon reentry, Cunningham manages to land the craft in the Chinese desert. Before the rescue can occur, Cunningham’s crew mates, Ed Lovett (Warren Farina) and Al Borden (Jeff McVey) die.

Rating: ***½ (out of 5 stars)

After his return home, Cunningham and the landing become the subject of two investigations to find out exactly what happened. The major focus of the investigations ask if Cunningham had anything to do with the malfunctions and the deaths of his crew, including a possible collusion with Russian agents and the theory that this was a calculated murder over a woman.

The film is the creation of writers/directors/brothers, Mark and David Dodson. The pair are possibly best known for the 2000 sci-fi film “Ascension.” Production began in 1998, resulting in a short version, but the pair reunited the cast 25 years later to complete the feature-length version of this story.

“The Landing” has the feel of a true-life crime story, sort of low budget version of “The Jinx,” except it’s entirely fiction. It’s not a perfect movie and I feel like some of the ideas could have been fleshed out a little more. That said, this is was an interesting movie that I could see finding an audience on Netflix.

If you like documentaries, conspiracy theories, true crime, independent cinema, science fiction, or science fact, I think you should check this out. It’s a great way to support two filmmakers and their passion project.