‘The Red Sea Diving Resort’ Review- A Harrowing Tale Inspired By Real Events

This movie was released in 2019.

Taking inspiration from an operation conducted by the government of Israel to smuggle Jewish Ethiopian refugees out of Sudan and into Israel, The Red Sea Diving Resort is a Netflix spy thriller written and directed by Gideon Raff.

Israeli Mossad agent Ari Levinson (Chris Evans) is working with Ethiopian Jew Kabede Bimro (Michael K. Williams) to smuggle refugees into Israel. After being called back to Israel, his superior Ethan Levi (Ben Kingsley) tells his the mission is canceled, but Ari suggests a bold plan. Using a shell company, they will rent a closed-down resort and use it to smuggle refugees onto ships to take them to Israel.

With help from his team, Rachel Reiter (Haley Bennett), Jake Wolf (Michiel Huisman), Max Rose (Alex Hassell), and the reluctant Dr. Sammy Navon (Alessandro Nivola), they start running the resort and the smuggling operation, dodging inspections from ruthless Sudanese Col. Abdel Ahmed (Chris Chalk) and the nosy CIA Agent Walton Bowen (Greg Kinnear).

I was genuinely impressed with this film. It was well-written, well-paced, and had a compelling plot. While it is based on the real-life Mossad Operation Moses and Operation Joshua, the story is fictional, changing the names and places most likely to protect the people involved in rescuing Ethiopian Jews.

Likewise, I was impressed with the performances, particularly of Evans, Kingsley, and Williams. While everyone did excellent, the three of them had stand out performances in the movie. I would like to also say it was good to see Kinnear back in the saddle. He’s an underrated actor with a lot of talent.

I have to admit, I am surprised that this movie was made. It portrayed Israel in a very positive light while highlighting the atrocities committed by a government under radical Islam. It definitely is not the typically politically correct tripe that is coming out of the entertainment industry these days.

Bottom line, Netflix often deservedly gets blasted for their often sub-par entries into cinema history. However, The Red Sea Diving Resort stands apart as a unique gem, while imperfect, it is a good movie that delivers on the thrills, performances, and entertainment.

PARENTAL CONCERNS: Violence, Foul language, Some nudity

FAVORITE QUOTE: You’re a lucky guy, but when the luck runs out, then you gotta have a plan and you never have one.

Check out the trailer below:

What do you think? Let me know in the comments below. Tell me if there is a comic book, movie, or novel you would like me to review.