"The Operative" is not a great film, but it has an intriguing central character in Rachel, the spy with a will of her own.
In a joint enterprise of British intelligence and the Mossad, Rachel is sent to Iran via Germany in order to disrupt Iran's attempt to build a nuclear bomb. She infiltrates a legitimate company that is selling parts to the Iranian government for a nuclear arsenal. Rachel helps to ensure that the parts are defective.
Uncharacteristic of any good spy, Rachel becomes personally involved with the manager of the parts company. She has an affair with him and comes to love him. It is never made clear if she becomes pregnant, but she at one point was seen visiting an abortion clinic. Slowly, the action-picture, spy saga turns into a romance!
Rachel's handlers become uneasy and want to pull her from the project. She tries to turn the tables on them. She has one loyal supporter in the man who originally recruited her. The best drama of the film comes within the final fifteen minutes. Yet the film's ending was unsatisfactory, and the structure of the film was complicated by different time frames. When the long flashback sequence finally comes to an end, the film picks up steam momentarily.
Many viewers will be put off by the slow pace, the convoluted plot, and many unpleasant characters. The most interesting part of the film was the romantic connection between Rachel and her Iranian lover. But it is a shame that the audience was left hanging on that thread with no resolution.
In a joint enterprise of British intelligence and the Mossad, Rachel is sent to Iran via Germany in order to disrupt Iran's attempt to build a nuclear bomb. She infiltrates a legitimate company that is selling parts to the Iranian government for a nuclear arsenal. Rachel helps to ensure that the parts are defective.
Uncharacteristic of any good spy, Rachel becomes personally involved with the manager of the parts company. She has an affair with him and comes to love him. It is never made clear if she becomes pregnant, but she at one point was seen visiting an abortion clinic. Slowly, the action-picture, spy saga turns into a romance!
Rachel's handlers become uneasy and want to pull her from the project. She tries to turn the tables on them. She has one loyal supporter in the man who originally recruited her. The best drama of the film comes within the final fifteen minutes. Yet the film's ending was unsatisfactory, and the structure of the film was complicated by different time frames. When the long flashback sequence finally comes to an end, the film picks up steam momentarily.
Many viewers will be put off by the slow pace, the convoluted plot, and many unpleasant characters. The most interesting part of the film was the romantic connection between Rachel and her Iranian lover. But it is a shame that the audience was left hanging on that thread with no resolution.