The Operative

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1:55

The Operative

2019

1h 56m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

41%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

35%

Popcornmeter

100+ Ratings

Mossad recruits a woman to become an agent and sends her to Tehran on an undercover mission. When her missions become more dangerous, she decides to quit, forcing her boss to find her before she becomes a threat to Israel.

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Critics Consensus

Diane Kruger delivers an appropriately steely performance, but The Operative pursues a forgettable mission that fans of the genre will find all too familiar.

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Michael Sragow

Film Comment Magazine

With a clumsy flashback structure, The Operative never quite reaches a full boil, coming off - like its heroine - as an entity without a country

Aug 5, 2019

Full Review

Christy Lemire

RogerEbert.com

A solidly crafted if forgettable espionage thriller.

Rated: 2/4

Aug 2, 2019

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Ben Kenigsberg

New York Times

A serviceable but not stylish filmmaker, Adler shoots office spaces and restaurants in a blandly shadowy style redolent of peak TV.

Aug 1, 2019

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

The storytelling also becomes a little muddled in the closing stretch, although the weapons-smuggling trip to the Turkish border is the pick of several tense set-pieces.

Rated: 3/5

Jan 30, 2025

Full Review

Danny Brogan

Common Sense Media

Tense spy thriller contains sexual and graphic violence

Rated: 3/5

Jan 24, 2020

Full Review

Hannah Brown

Jerusalem Post

The ingredients of an enjoyable spy flick are all present in The Operative, but they rarely come together.

Jan 17, 2020

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Donna C

A movie that kept me on the edge Not sure where her allegiance lay during the entire movie Cannot believe the ending but typical of Pommy shows, excellent!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/26/25

Full Review

chris e

The first three reviews I looked at panned the movie. I had to leave a review because it hit the mark for me Real people Real dirty Espionage Slow burning. If you haven't seen it and you like the genrè Watch it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

07/03/25

Full Review

Alain E

Kruger is nice to watch but the whole thing is so wooden I gave up after 20 minutes.

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

01/01/25

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Keith T

A two hour movie with no ending. Sucks!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

12/10/23

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steve d

Convoluted and not quite satisfying.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

03/30/23

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lars p

Where is the audience score? Or is there no audience? The first part of the film is OK, but does not rock, more average spy thriller. The second half consists of many scenes that make zero sense unless you happen to be a spy with an IQ below 70. My advice: Don't watch and waste less of your time, for time is life!

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

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Yuval Adler

Director

Diane Kruger

Rachel

Martin Freeman

Thomas

Cas Anvar

Farhad

Rotem Keinan

Daniel

Lana Ettinger

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The Operative: Trailer 1

1:55

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Synopsis

Mossad recruits a woman to become an agent and sends her to Tehran on an undercover mission. When her missions become more dangerous, she decides to quit, forcing her boss to find her before she becomes a threat to Israel.

Director: Yuval Adler
Producer: Anne Carey, Jonathan Doweck, Eitan Mansuri
Screenwriter: Yuval Adler
Distributor: Vertical Entertainment
Production Co: Bord Cadre Films, Little Mama, Black Bear Pictures, Little Shark Entertainment GmbH, Le Pacte, Spiro Films
Genre: Mystery & Thriller, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 2, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 2, 2019
Runtime: 1h 56m

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