The Operative

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1:55

The Operative

2019

1h 56m

Mystery & Thriller

Drama

Action

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

41%

Tomatometer

32 Reviews

36%

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

Aug 5, 2019

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

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Christy Lemire

RogerEbert.com

Aug 2, 2019

2/4

A solidly crafted if forgettable espionage thriller.

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Ben Kenigsberg

New York Times

Aug 1, 2019

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

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David Parkinson

Radio Times

Jan 30, 2025

3/5

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.

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Danny Brogan

Common Sense Media

Jan 24, 2020

3/5

Tense spy thriller contains sexual and graphic violence

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Hannah Brown

Jerusalem Post

Jan 17, 2020

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

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Stan O

@RT81161109 May 23, 2026

I typically don’t leave reviews, but seeing that this was rated 41% made me want to. I love espionage movies, and this is one of the best I’ve watched! Thrilling and filled with suspense. And the way they ended it, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats, was brilliant.

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Donna C

@RT97871683 Jul 26, 2025

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!

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chris e

@RT78518289 Jul 3, 2025

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!

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Alain E

@AlainE Jan 1, 2025

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

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steve d

@RT35616104 Dec 9, 2022

Convoluted and not quite satisfying.

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lars p

@LarsP Aug 2, 2022

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!

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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

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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, Action
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 2, 2019, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 2, 2019
Runtime: 1h 56m

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