Dark and grim, but SUPERB movie making!

Rating: 10/10 (23 December 2005)

SPOILERS! I read the book decades ago, and have been muttering for years that this SHOULD be a movie. It is way cool that Spielberg brought this to this screen! The film pretty much sticks to the book, though it skips Avner's early Mossad recruitment and training to go straight to the action. Also, one other Israeli covert op that actually happened are added to the script, which enhance the storytelling.
While some Palistinian perspectives are given, and the commonality of mankind is stressed, there is also a strong message of the determination of the state of Israel to survive.
I am sure that some will disagree. I am not a Jew, but I think that this film presents certain realities that must be confronted. Every nation thinks it is morally superior to it's enemies, Israel probably more than most. But the simple fact is that certain things need to be done for survival. Those who have faced the elephant know that. Everybody else is just jerking off.
SPOILERS! Those who have read the book know that when Avner refused to return to "active duty", the Israeli government jerked all of the accumulated salary out of the bank account they had been "keeping for him". Spielberg chose not to include this detail.
This is a dark and grim movie, not entertainment, but it is my favorite Spielberg to date.