The Impossible Spy

This video has somewhat B-rated quality, but it's very old (& says it was made for British TV or something)so you aren't going to get the greatest quality. It starts out with hokey film-tactics, but then gets better.The generic content/story is very good....gives you some perspectives about how others work at their jobs & contribute to society around you and do things so that "the rest of us can go on with life as normal as possible." This is a pretty clean movie from what we noticed the first time watching it, safe for families & individuals in a general way. This is not a religious theme movie at all, outside of the generic theme of Land being a homeland to the Israelite people.This is an enjoyable film, based on a true story, and helps you understand some of the pressures that countries & their defense departments/agents must go thru. Also, the "human side" of a relationship between opposing sides is presented --the immovable difference between an Arab & an Israelite who are competing for the same piece of Land. Men are seen developing "mutual" respect and certain feelings of "friendship" towards each other. It's a sad thing that men must fight, indeed.My family enjoys historical films that show more and more puzzle pieces about the Land of Israel and the people of Israel. This film focuses on the Syrian-Israeli conflict, through the life of a new spy. The newly inducted spy incidentally makes choices that destroy his marriage due to "practical abandonment" you might say -without the wife having any inkling of this being the chosen path. Personally i believe there's a difference between a man who joins the army, then gets married with his wife understanding the ups & downs of an army marriage beforehand ....VERSES a man who marries his wife and sneakily joins the army and sees her and their newborn only a handful of times in several years...which means the wife and child have been unnecessarily hurt. "Greater Good" themes are toyed with in this marital struggle.Being a Bible believer, i'm reminded that until Israel's neighbors accept the role that Israel is meant to have within the Covenanted Land.....and until Israel walks in true Torah the majority of the time....& seeking to be a light to the nations, the opposing parties will never get along nor benefit each other. May Moshiach Return quickly, even in our days.The one exception to us recommending this film, is going to only strike a positive/helpful note with few people (we realize), but nevertheless....the problem we have with this film is that real live human beings with real life families (husbands, and/or wives, and/or children) are being intimate with other people outside of their family all for the sake of "it's just a job, it's acting." We personally don't believe that God will every approve body-close-holding and smooching, as "just a job so it's okay" when it comes to non-married people. You simply won't find that kind of behavior ever supported or condoned in the Bible. As i said, we realize this won't be a popular stance, in a Media-soaked culture, but nonetheless...it's the flat truth. So we cannot recommend you actually buy this film. There ARE films on the market, few though, that have actual actors who are husbands and wives being intimate on screen...or that have husbands and wives pictured who aren't married outside the movie but BARELELY touch in any intimate way (like FireProof, Facing the Giants, Time Changer, Flywheel, and others). We recommend you just place your own family member in the actor's spot, and see how you'd feel watching your partner or child doing the intimacy with a complete stranger (IN FRONT OF THEIR CHILDREN OR SPOUSE). Thanks for "listening." :)

I grew up reading Elie Cohen's masterclass in espionage. I came across to this impressively cosmic minded persons chronicles when I was 14. I have never stopped thinking about him, reading about his works, and watching documentaries and movies that revolves around his exquisite works. Even after 35 years and counting I am still trying to unlock the mysteries embedded in his works as spy agent. It is open secret that the extent of his contribution in securing Israel from existential threat was immensely of gigantic. Decoding his photographic memory and impersonation skill in many ways from academic perspective is another takeaway precious to developing myriad of researches that yield countless findings and discoveries.

This is a true story of a Jewish man who had been raised in Egypt and was recruited by Mossad to be a spy in Syria. He is given credit for some of the success Israel had in the Six-Day War, especially on the Golan Heights. He spoke at least 5 languages and had an extraordinary memory that he had used as a low-level accountant in the textile business.Anyone watching this movie has to be very interested in recent Israeli-Syrian relations. The quality of the movie is poor, although the acting is excellent. The movie is just old, and shows it. It's worth watching though if you are very interested in Israel, Syria, or history of the middle east in general.During one part of the movie the two main characters visited the Golan Heights. I was there last year and had an opportunity to go down into the bunkers. That's an amazing area where you can stand in one place and see Israel, Syria, and, if you squint a little, Lebanon. The view is breathtaking in its significance for warfare. In all the books, articles and videos I've gone through in my own studies, I've never seen the Golan Heights portrayed the way they showed it in The Impossible Spy. I will never forget that part of the movie. I also appreciate the extra information provided by another reviewer about the tree planting in that same area, to indicate where the guns were. What an amazing story! Thank you to that reviewer for sharing that story.The movie seems to try to portray both sides fairly. It left me a little more informed about history and, of course, very sad about all the death and suffering.

This is a video enactment of the true story of the famous Israeli spy, Elie Cohen, who was reluctantly recruited by the Mossad to infiltrate the Syrian High Command. He successfully did so by befriending and subsidizing (with Israeli government money) the the then outlawed Baath Party of Syria. He made his first contact with a Baath Party representative in Argentina. When the Baath Party eventually came to power in Syria, Elie Cohen followed. Being Syrian born, and raised in Egypt, this devout Jew, fluent in Arabic and at least four other languages, rose from a job as a lowly accountant at a grocery chain, to nearly become the deputy minister of defense in Syria. Before being discovered, probably because of his false overconfidence in transmitting Morse code messages to Tel Aviv, he became, and still is, one of the most celebrated human intelligence figures in world history. The information he provided was instrumental in the astonishing victory by Israel in the Six Day War.Highly recommended for those interested in middle east politics and espionage.

I heard about this Israeli Spy who duped the Syrians, as he worked for Mossad when I was in Israel 12 years ago on Pilgrimage. This man caught my interest straight away, so I bought this video of the man, Cohen. The film shows that this man had originally been refused for Mossad, but then he could speak fluent Arabic which then got him into Syria undercover. He befriended members of the Ba'ath Party in Syria who were leading the Country. He was found out by a new Russian Radio Surveillance System while contacting Israel by Radio. He gleaned invaluable information from the Ba'ath Party, including where their Military Defenses were near the Golan Heights and other Arab nations that were going to attack Israel. Due to his information Israel saved and protected the Nation, especially with the 6 day War, when a few Muslim Countries attacked Israel and lost.I found the film very moving at times and the saddest part was Cohen was publicly hung by the Syrians. He left a wife and baby daughter who didn't know what he was really doing when he went to work.

A real movie about a real hero! Great spy thriller that was true and saved a nation (Israel) from being destroyed.

Every thing as expected good work

This film is based on the true story of Eli Cohen, a Mossad agent in Syria in the 1960s. The DVD does not contain a scene in the VHS edition involving the spy and a Syrian customs officer. This and other minor cuts make for a slight disappointment. Hopefully we will see a remastered uncut version on DVD one day. Nevertheless, a gripping spy story and highly recommended.

This is a compelling film because it is a spy thriller, based on a true story, with historical consequences. A "common" Israeli, who speaks fluent Arabic, is recruited in the 1960's by Israeli Intelligence and assumes the identity of a wealthy Syrian businessman. His ties to those in power in Syria become stronger with time, enabling him to gain the confidence of his Syrian contacts, a number of whom hold strategic posts including within the Syrian military.The movie does have a television production feel to it but this should not be interpreted as a negative comment. The script is good and the acting strong.My greatest disappointment is the lack of subtitles for those who are hearing impaired.