Chris Evans's roles always lean to heroic and patriotic characterization and this film was perfect for him. I feel like this movie was underrated, and should be considered as a decent historical and action drama that really caters to all generations of movie fans.
235 Reviews
Solid Netflix flick
darcek31 July 2019
Almost missed on this film,because some people reviewed it as political propaganda instead of really reviewing the film itself.. Haters got to hate..
The real review is this film is solid(acting,directed etc),enjoyable watching,and recaptures some important history.
The problem with this film I felt most of the plot was repeated in other films which kept it from been really great hence gave it only a 7. Nothing original here,except the true story behind the movie that inspired its creation.
The real review is this film is solid(acting,directed etc),enjoyable watching,and recaptures some important history.
The problem with this film I felt most of the plot was repeated in other films which kept it from been really great hence gave it only a 7. Nothing original here,except the true story behind the movie that inspired its creation.
Red Sea Diving Resort or Operation Brothers?
kosmasp12 March 2021
In this case I reckon sort of both. I was not aware of the real life incident (or rather incidents) this falls back on and the real people involved. So it is always nice to have a light being shined on things one doesn't know. This might spark curiosity and people might want to learn more than the film offers (and one can only imagine how much more).
Having said all that, the term "first world problems" that is being used, makes even more sense when you see what other people have to endure for just a modicum of the freedom most of us (especially those with the privilege of having time to watch a lot of movies - looking at you kid - which in case I'm not clear is aimed at myself primarily) take for granted.
A very emotional movie, that does pack a punch and a few "action" scenes too. Don't expect this to be an effects fest of course. I would like to assume that most can see past the Marvel movies Chris Evans has done ... or his teen comedies for that matter. And just to be clear, those are entertaining to say the least. At least for a lot of people, so enjoy those ... and if you are up for something different, you will cherish this too - on a different level of course, but still. What is a human life worth? And not in Hollywood terms ...
Having said all that, the term "first world problems" that is being used, makes even more sense when you see what other people have to endure for just a modicum of the freedom most of us (especially those with the privilege of having time to watch a lot of movies - looking at you kid - which in case I'm not clear is aimed at myself primarily) take for granted.
A very emotional movie, that does pack a punch and a few "action" scenes too. Don't expect this to be an effects fest of course. I would like to assume that most can see past the Marvel movies Chris Evans has done ... or his teen comedies for that matter. And just to be clear, those are entertaining to say the least. At least for a lot of people, so enjoy those ... and if you are up for something different, you will cherish this too - on a different level of course, but still. What is a human life worth? And not in Hollywood terms ...
A tight drama of an issue that people should care about
Gordon-1131 July 2019
This film tells the story of a group of agents who go into Sudan to save a group of Jewish refugees.
The good number of stars attracted me to this film, and it turns out to be as good as one can expect. It is a tight drama that makes you want to find out what happens next. Furthermore, it is about an issue that people should care about. I think it is worth a good watch.
The good number of stars attracted me to this film, and it turns out to be as good as one can expect. It is a tight drama that makes you want to find out what happens next. Furthermore, it is about an issue that people should care about. I think it is worth a good watch.
Absolutely Enthralling
taraangel-409601 August 2019
Argo for Ethiopian Jews
siderite20 April 2020
This is the story of a group of heroic Mossad agents who pretend to lease a beach resort from the Sudanese government in order to use it as a hotel, but in fact use it as a seaside base for smuggling Ethiopian Jews from Africa. Both Ethiopia and Sudan were (and still are) volatile zones and Sudan is a Muslim country. It's basically the plot of Argo, but for another group of people, and it is also based on real events.
Now, the film is mediocre. The dramatic scenes are copy pasted from other films, the heroes are all ridiculously good looking, the evil antagonist is just evil for no good reason and all those tired 70's cliches rear out their ugly heads: every hero is reckless, the boss knows it, the idea is risky, the boss of the boss knows it, and somehow they smilingly admit going against every instinct and making it happen anyway. There is an especially cringe worthy scene where the bad guys inspect some trucks and, finding no bullet holes, conclude that those were not the trucks that smashed through a roadblock. Because smashing through other cars leaves no trace, unlike bullets.
There was a funny scene in the film when one of the characters says "It had to be Germans. It's always Germans!". It wasn't funny for the reasons the writers wanted, but because the entire film reeked of WWII hero movies where all the Nazis are bad and really stupid.
Bottom line: really by the numbers film that probably has very little to do with the actual events.
Now, the film is mediocre. The dramatic scenes are copy pasted from other films, the heroes are all ridiculously good looking, the evil antagonist is just evil for no good reason and all those tired 70's cliches rear out their ugly heads: every hero is reckless, the boss knows it, the idea is risky, the boss of the boss knows it, and somehow they smilingly admit going against every instinct and making it happen anyway. There is an especially cringe worthy scene where the bad guys inspect some trucks and, finding no bullet holes, conclude that those were not the trucks that smashed through a roadblock. Because smashing through other cars leaves no trace, unlike bullets.
There was a funny scene in the film when one of the characters says "It had to be Germans. It's always Germans!". It wasn't funny for the reasons the writers wanted, but because the entire film reeked of WWII hero movies where all the Nazis are bad and really stupid.
Bottom line: really by the numbers film that probably has very little to do with the actual events.
Rescue in the Red Sea
DogePelis201530 August 2021
An Ethiopian exodus from Sudan to Israel
FrenchEddieFelson1 August 2019
Movies dealing with an exodus in the direction of the Holy Land are plethoric. I think in particular about Exodus (1960) with Paul Newman and directed by Otto Preminger and then about Va, vis et deviens (2005) as heartbreaking as moving. The Red Sea Diving Resort (2019) is clearly a popcorn version of a real mission organized by the Mossad in order to secretly evacuate Ethiopians who have fled their native country in complete food crisis, via an abandoned Sudanese hotel, the Red Sea Diving Resort.
By being slightly in bad faith, the expedition looks a bit like Captain America with his team of Avengers saving Ethiopians undeservingly persecuted by Sudanese. But the director Gideon Raff skillfully avoided falling into these clichés and the film is globally successful, although we are very far from a cinematographic masterpiece. I particularly appreciated the performance of Chris Chalk, Greg Kinnear and Ben Kingsley who highlight the intergalactic star Chris Evans.
PS: I remain stunned by the sterile duel between the two extremist groups « 10 of 10 » versus « 1 of 10 » who represent, on August the 1st, more than a third of the votes.
By being slightly in bad faith, the expedition looks a bit like Captain America with his team of Avengers saving Ethiopians undeservingly persecuted by Sudanese. But the director Gideon Raff skillfully avoided falling into these clichés and the film is globally successful, although we are very far from a cinematographic masterpiece. I particularly appreciated the performance of Chris Chalk, Greg Kinnear and Ben Kingsley who highlight the intergalactic star Chris Evans.
PS: I remain stunned by the sterile duel between the two extremist groups « 10 of 10 » versus « 1 of 10 » who represent, on August the 1st, more than a third of the votes.
Positive beautiful film, just when we all need it.
gideonzack31 July 2019
This a moving film with exceptional performances by all actors involved. The direction and writing also hits good tones and avoids becoming a blow them up action movie. I really enjoyed this film from beginning to end. Chris Evans can act and there's a nice character arch with a few of the main players. Overall I really enjoyed this and will watch it again.
The fact that it's based on saving lives and happened during a really hard time in the Middle East and Africa (late 70's early 80's) makes it more poignant given the state of the world today.
Overall it's an A for me. I will recommend this to my friends and family. Enjoy :)
The fact that it's based on saving lives and happened during a really hard time in the Middle East and Africa (late 70's early 80's) makes it more poignant given the state of the world today.
Overall it's an A for me. I will recommend this to my friends and family. Enjoy :)
Great movie with positive message
pedrpells16 April 2021
Something missing...
leonamos-5233310 August 2019
As with all of the Netflix films I've seen there is no character development, story seems to move too quickly and seems a bit jumpy. This means that I couldn't care less what happens to any of the characters as you don't feel for them. This film is better than Triple Frontier but it still left me wondering how Netflix are getting away with using college grade producers.
Loved it, Great Flick and very accurate.
ethosbooking10 September 2020
Loved it!! Amazing Flick!! Having been told first hand takes about the struggles of refugees escaping Ethiopia and Eritrea through these exact channels made this all the more poignant. The tale is one based on a true story. Israeli Mossad operatives smuggle thousands of refugees under the cover of running a resort in an abandoned Sudanese hotel. Cast with the likes of Michael Kenneth Williams, Chris Evans, Greg Kinnear, Ben Kingsley, Masasa Mbangeni, Haley Bennet and more. Shot and DirectEd well with beautiful scenery in most every scene. A tear conjuring film about hope and survival. This one carries with it and loudly announces a message. HELP ONE ANOTHER - AP #Reelflix
Greetings from the diving resort
dierregi9 August 2019
There was a time when people (well... mainly hippies) used to take adventurous trips to Afghanistan. Nowadays, it seems ludicrous to think about that country - and Sudan - as attractive holiday destinations.
However, this movie reminds us that not as far in time as Afghanistan - actually, in the early 80s - a Red Sea diving resort in Sudan was a covetable destinations for Germans and other tourists.
Even if it's hard to believe that an African country on the brink of massive upheaval was visited by tourists, people actually do lots of stupid things. In this case, silly tourists were nothing more than "probable collateral damage" IRL, a handful of agents operated the resort as a cover for a rescue scheme that went on for years unnoticed. The Ethiopian were carried by trucks to the resort and shipped over to Israel, until the final mission, when the last bunch was transported by plane, because Sudanese officials . In this sort of movie, you should expect most (all?) characters to be a bit stereotyped. They are very much so that I did not get the need to introduce them quite at length, since their background was irrelevant to the development of the plot.
For instance, the Alex Hassle Max Rose's character, seemed quite interesting as a forever hungry assassin, but there is no development nor much action for him (nor for the others).
However, this is quite good entertainment with a solid, humanitarian background and not too much violence, apart from a horrific scene in a refugee camp.
However, this movie reminds us that not as far in time as Afghanistan - actually, in the early 80s - a Red Sea diving resort in Sudan was a covetable destinations for Germans and other tourists.
Even if it's hard to believe that an African country on the brink of massive upheaval was visited by tourists, people actually do lots of stupid things. In this case, silly tourists were nothing more than "probable collateral damage" IRL, a handful of agents operated the resort as a cover for a rescue scheme that went on for years unnoticed. The Ethiopian were carried by trucks to the resort and shipped over to Israel, until the final mission, when the last bunch was transported by plane, because Sudanese officials . In this sort of movie, you should expect most (all?) characters to be a bit stereotyped. They are very much so that I did not get the need to introduce them quite at length, since their background was irrelevant to the development of the plot.
For instance, the Alex Hassle Max Rose's character, seemed quite interesting as a forever hungry assassin, but there is no development nor much action for him (nor for the others).
However, this is quite good entertainment with a solid, humanitarian background and not too much violence, apart from a horrific scene in a refugee camp.
Important Topic but Movie didn't come together.
mccabegabe21 October 2019
I loved the concept of this movie, but somehow the opening sequence managed to make a life or death escape feel like it had low stakes and predictable moments. The topic is important and the story is inspiring, but the film itself wasn't as intense and moving as it could have been.
similar to hotel rwanda
ksf-23 October 2021
Written and directed by gideon raff. Apparently based on true events, this tells the story of israeli agents helping ethiopan jews escape from sudan in 1979. Features chris evans and ben kingsley. Mbulelo grootboom is the rebellion leader, where they run a fake hotel to smuggle out black jews, from a muslin country. In a very dangerous part of sudan. A crazy plan, that is so crazy, no-one would suspect what they are really doing. Lots of suspense. While they are sealing the deal for the resort hotel, there are gunshots going on in the background the entire time. We really get the sense of how dangerous this is. Overly dramatic, i'm sure, but it's quite good! Currently showing on netflix.
Not documentary, a good movie
redtiago5 September 2022
Based on the true facts of an operation carried out by Mossad agents to rescue as many Ethiopian Jews as possible from persecution and death in Ethiopia in the late 70's and early 80's.
To this end, they create a facade hotel in sudan. The film is well done in a very genuine way, but developing strong characters to avoid being just documentary. It has a lot of suspense, drama and even humor as only a story based on real events can. The only negative aspect that I point out is an excessive caricature of the Ethiopian rebel forces, it's not that I doubt the atrocities they committed, but dehumanizing them and characterizing them almost as if they were cartoon villains is not understanding the conflict and its consequences and motivations. The world is not divided in good and bad,it´s only black or white. And in that aspect it fails, a pity because in the rest it seems to me to be very realistic.
I recommend.
To this end, they create a facade hotel in sudan. The film is well done in a very genuine way, but developing strong characters to avoid being just documentary. It has a lot of suspense, drama and even humor as only a story based on real events can. The only negative aspect that I point out is an excessive caricature of the Ethiopian rebel forces, it's not that I doubt the atrocities they committed, but dehumanizing them and characterizing them almost as if they were cartoon villains is not understanding the conflict and its consequences and motivations. The world is not divided in good and bad,it´s only black or white. And in that aspect it fails, a pity because in the rest it seems to me to be very realistic.
I recommend.
Apparently Tourists Will Go Anywhere?
damianphelps2 May 2023
The Red Sea Diving Resort is a better than average Netfilx film about the quest to re home Jewish refugees from Ethipoia.
A strong performance from Chris Evans leads a good cast through an engaging drama that raises the attention of veiwers to a relatively unknown issue amongst the masses today.
It did receive some criticism for being a little shallow, which could have been rectified if they had honed in on the journey of one family through the process of being rescued. However, I think by glossing over this part of the story it allowed the filmakers to tell a broader one which I think resulted in a more entertaining show, afterall its a movie not a doco :)
A strong performance from Chris Evans leads a good cast through an engaging drama that raises the attention of veiwers to a relatively unknown issue amongst the masses today.
It did receive some criticism for being a little shallow, which could have been rectified if they had honed in on the journey of one family through the process of being rescued. However, I think by glossing over this part of the story it allowed the filmakers to tell a broader one which I think resulted in a more entertaining show, afterall its a movie not a doco :)
Good. Could be better
dpsmith-6115330 May 2021
A good film, really nice shot and has some stunning scenery and landscapes. Chris Evans does really well to break his Captain America persona, he gives a decent performance. The story is really sweet, and really drew my interest into what actually happened. I do feel there could have been more focus on the refugee crisis, felt like I wasn't learning as much as I wanted to. However, the film is a really nice watch - well written, cinematography, and acting.
chris evans is more than just an avenger
brttnywtlngtn31 July 2019
Chris evans proves his acting chops once again. his performance was dynamic and gripping. he's always been one of my favorite actors so it's good to see him getting more serious roles that he deserves, can handle and can do well. the rest of the cast gives get performances as well.
well acted, well casted, well written and well directed.
well acted, well casted, well written and well directed.
Slow and Cliche, but Nice Story
dansview1 August 2019
I was ready for this to end long before it did. There was virtually no character development, a bunch of cliched characters, and slow pacing.
But the story itself is an interesting one, and apparently true. Let's face it, the nuts and bolts of a rescue mission are not always that interesting. But the crucial moments had sufficient tension.
I wasn't really buying Chris Evans as ethnic, but I guess they needed a pretty face and he was available.
There is also virtually no explanation for what was going on in Ethiopia, other than some vague sense of a civil war.
I could definitely do without the sanctimonious narration.
There is no soundtrack really or sex.
But the story itself is an interesting one, and apparently true. Let's face it, the nuts and bolts of a rescue mission are not always that interesting. But the crucial moments had sufficient tension.
I wasn't really buying Chris Evans as ethnic, but I guess they needed a pretty face and he was available.
There is also virtually no explanation for what was going on in Ethiopia, other than some vague sense of a civil war.
I could definitely do without the sanctimonious narration.
There is no soundtrack really or sex.
Okay to pass the time, a little long
maxcih18 August 2019
The movie has some dramatic moments, but I wouldn't call it a thriller. There's a lack of character development, and missed opportunities for a sub-plot. Chris Evans shines a bit too much. It would have been great to have given the pretty blonde, Haley Bennett, a back story. She is just there, and we have to guess. Of the main team involved in the mission, we only learn a little background on the two male leads.
Outstanding Film
Easygoer1015 December 2019
Much better than I thought. It is very well done: True stories are always the best. This is very well cast and directed. Chris Evans and Michael Williams are superb in their respective roles. Greg Kinnear and the rest of the cast are very good as well. A must see.
Heartfelt, but lacks depth
Calicodreamin15 August 2019
A truly inspiring true story based on the Israeli governments attempt to get refugees out of the Sudan. The plan centers around using the Red Sea diving resort as a cover, sneaking the refugees out at night to awaiting naval ships. While the real life story is quite amazing, the movie seems a bit lackluster. The main characters have no depth, the storyline is a bit anticlimactic, and moved too quickly through some parts, while other scenes seemed unnecessary. A solid movie with a solid plot, but I felt it could have better explored some characters and spent more time in the thick of the plot.
Inspiring story uninspiringly made
northernpaladin12 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Whether this is propaganda or not I'll leave you to decide but clearly the 10 ratings and 1 ratings are political statements.
At 2 hours plus the film is too long with a lot of filler which does mean it drags a bit and the negatives outweigh the positives.
The biggest negative is the cliche riddled script which offers no depth of character or opportunity to develop and is made worse by the quite wooden direction. As a result the acting talents of such as Chris Evans, Alessandro Nivola, Haley Bennett, Michiel Huisman, and Alex Hassell are wasted; only Gregg Kinnear and Ben Kingsley manage to do anything with their peripheral roles.
Another negative, which we really shouldn't see these days, was the negative cultural tropes of the corrupt African politician and the homicidal war lord, cheap shots. The film also fails completely to give the audience any sense of what is going on in the region and why, instead we have a simplistic these are the good guys and these are the bad guys approach which is frankly insulting. As the film plods along there are a number of scenes that grate but here are a couple; in a strict Muslim country which is enforcing religious conformity the Haley Bennett character never covers up even when bursting into the office of the corrupt politician to plead for Chris Evans life, in the final showdown between Evans and the warlord at the hotel there are guests eating dinner around them who a) don't react at all to the guns and Evans being clubbed to the ground and b) have miraculously disappeared a few hours later when the agents decide to flee the place with 400 refugees they hid in one room!
There are a few positives but only a few; in a rare scene of acting depth Evans and Nivola do manage to convey some emotion in their prison scene and the final race for the CIA aircraft that will take them all to safety does have a convincing energy that the film as a whole lacks.
So a very average watch and unfortunately this is now becoming my expectation for Netflix films, perhaps less quantity and more quality should be their way forward?
Incredible tale of compassion
mat-fletcher10 August 2019
It's weird in this day and age to hear anything positive said about Israel and this is a timely reminder that the nation of Israel always does whatever it takes to protect their people, if if they are Jewish Ethiopians.
From a tactical perspective, this was operation certain death and it's amazing that they pulled it off not once but enough times to rescues tens of thousands of genuine people displaced and in mortal danger at the hands of an Islamic revolution.
It's very well acted, the characters personalities develop. Currently, with no much absolute garbage coming out of hollywood, I have the attention span of a 3 year old when it comes to movies but this captured my attention throughout and had me involuntarily shouting at he screen a couple of times.
Decent.
From a tactical perspective, this was operation certain death and it's amazing that they pulled it off not once but enough times to rescues tens of thousands of genuine people displaced and in mortal danger at the hands of an Islamic revolution.
It's very well acted, the characters personalities develop. Currently, with no much absolute garbage coming out of hollywood, I have the attention span of a 3 year old when it comes to movies but this captured my attention throughout and had me involuntarily shouting at he screen a couple of times.
Decent.
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