THE PLOT THUS FAR
The year is 1965. Rachel Brener is one of 3 young Mossad agents teem who caught “The Surgeon of Treblinca” – a Nazi monster who was never brought to trial in Israel. The official reason was that he has committed suicide as a prisoner while being held by his Israeli captive in a safe house somewhere in Europe. Today, 35 years after the well communicated suicide story of the monster, a small article appears in a local unimportant paper in a small town in central Europe.
WHAT WE THOUGHT
The appearance of a Nazi war criminal said to have been killed 35 years prior pulls a former Mossad agent back into her past in this suspense film. Now, she must prevent the truth — namely that she let her prisoner escape — from reaching daylight.
The manner in which the film is set into motion is a seamless interchange of the years 1944 during the war and the black and white images of the concentration camps, and 1965 when the three young Mossad agents captured the surgeon and the present when the now 60ish Rachel carries out her duty. It is chilling, rich in character development, and maintains a degree of tension that is almost unbearable at times. But the other aspect of this film that keeps it form being yet another memoir of the mistreatment of the Jews in WW II is the element of humanity in each of the three Mossad agents as they deal with their task and yet interact with the evil and warped surgeon.
The DVD comes with a making-of featurette and trailer. The A/V Quality is pretty sharp, but it lacks any substantial punch-up. The recent adaptation blows it away in terms of visual panache, but the Dolby track on this disc holds up pretty well. If it helps you, I’d recommend setting up a double feature with the 2011 version. In the end, I’d recommend a purchase.
RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW!
