15 Average Oscar Bait Films Elevated By Amazing Performances

One of 2018's failed Oscar-Bait movies, Operation Finale - which tells the true story of Israeli agents capturing Holocaust architect Adolf Eichmann and bringing him to Israel to stand trial, the kind of story that has 'Oscar' written all over it - is a solid and interesting viewing but it certainly didn't match the awards hype. This was largely thanks to a fairly by-the-numbers script and Chris Weitz's flat direction.

Still, lead actors Oscar Isaac (playing Mossad agent Peter Malkin) and Ben Kingsley (playing Eichmann, which makes this a very interesting polar opposite of his unforgettable performance as a Holocaust survivor in Schindler's List) bring their A-game and both give strong performances. Kingsley is particularly good as the calmly evil Eichmann and both lift the film beyond the script's limitations. British theater legend Simon Russell Beale also has a very good cameo as David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel.

In particular, there's a scene between Isaac and Kingsley near the end when Eichmann insults Malkin's sister, who died in the Holocaust, in which both actors are brilliant and make it an unforgettable movie moment.