AT THE MOVIES

by Isy Jordan

Red Sea Diving Resort
Director: Gideon Raff
Starring: Chris Evans, Michael K. Williams, Alessandro Nivola, Ben Kingsley, Greg Kinnear, Haley Bennett, Michiel Huisman, and more...

Inspired by remarkable true life rescue missions, this is the story of a group of Israeli Mossad agents and brave Ethiopians who in the early 80s used a deserted holiday retreat in Sudan as a front to smuggle thousands of refugees to Jerusalem. The undercover team carrying out this mission is led by the charismatic Ari Levinson and courageous local Kabede Bimro.

In this Netflix original movie, we're told the true story of Operation Brothers that took place from 1979 to 1984. In the Sudan, Israeli Mossad agents used an Italian abandoned resort as a way for thousands of Ethiopian Jews to be smuggled to Jerusalem, saving their lives. Tensions heightened by the Ehtiopian revolution in 1974 drew attention to the inexplicable pocket of thousands of Jews in Africa forced to flee their own homeland.

Opinions ofon this Netflix original have been split. Many expressed disappointment saying that the film wasn't as good as Argo or Schindler's List. Others claimed it was yet another example of a "white savior" narrative. While a case could be made for that, it didn't feel like that was the intention of the filmmakers.

Could it have been done better? Probably. While the storyline was easy to understand and the plight of the Ethiopians was dire, there were problems with this film. Chris Evans played real-life hero Ari Levinson and did a good job with the role. Many went into it expecting a character more like Steve Rogers/Captain America and if so, they were disappointed. Fans were on Twitter the day after the film's July 31st debut advising other fans of the actor not to watch it for that reason. That was puzzling to me.

It felt little formulaic. Ben Kingsley was the head of the agents who had fired Ari Levinson (Evans) twice and called him reckless and out of control. Later he would tell the entire group they were reckless per the formula. Greg Kinnear made a welcome cameo as the helpful Walter Bowen. The rest of the principle cast was composed of good actors who weren't given much to work with. Many of the extras were Ethiopian actors and they did a great job.

I would like to have seen much more of Michael K. Williams who played rebel leader Kabede Bimro. The actor is certainly talented and I think it was sad that his two biggest tasks in the film were to be 1) saved by Ari (Evans) and 2) to do a voice over at the end praising Ari. I would have liked to see him there along with the Israeli agents saving people even if it wasn't entirely factual.

The last thing missing for me was the emotional impact. The movie felt like an episode of Charlie's Angels honestly. It was sad to see the victims from Ethiopia and their plight. Terrified mothers, a withdrawn rape victim, innocent people shot in the back of their heads in a line. We were presented with the terrifying scenarios but the filmmakers didn't work us up to those scenes. Instead of being emotionally devastating, it was like watching the news. Your heart sinks but isn't ripped out. You aren't emotionally engaged. That more than anything, in this reviewer's opinion, hurt the film's overall vibe.

The filmmakers also felt the need to explain to us exactly what happened in some detail. That's a growing trend these days that's really taking away from my enjoyment of movies and television shows.

The film is rated TV-MA for graphic violence and some intense escape scenes. It's just over 2 hours long and again, it's not a terrible film. If you can go into it not expecting a Schindler's List clone or Chris Evans as Captain America as a really hot Israeli agent rescuing people, you might find you enjoy it. If you're a fan of movies that give you faith in humanity, you'll actually really like it.

Isy