Checkout

When Dov (Josh Pais), an aging Mossad operative, is faced with forced retirement, he becomes desperate for one last career-defining case. When a mysterious guest named Amal (Norman Issa) arrives at the Istanbul hotel where he is stationed, Dov spirals into an obsessive realm fueled by self-doubt and paranoia. The outcome is anybody’s guess, and neither man appears ready to check out.

Director Jonathan Dekel creates a sharp anti-spy movie with Checkout, his feature directorial debut. Working from a screenplay co-written with Shai Satran and developed in part through the Sundance Labs, Dekel crafts an eccentric dark comedy that interweaves meta commentary and non-linear storytelling. As events unfold, one never quite knows where the narrative is heading, resulting in a rhythm that can be challenging to follow at times but remains consistently intriguing.

Dov (Josh Pais) holds Amal (Norman Issa) as he cradles a trumpet under colorful lights in Checkout.

“When Dov, an aging Mossad operative, is faced with forced retirement, he becomes desperate for one last career-defining case.”

The production brings together a skilled ensemble of American, Israeli, and Arab actors who translate this unconventional approach to the espionage genre with sheer precision. As Dov, Josh Pais (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Ray Donovan) brings a vulnerable desperation to his portrayal. He embodies a man at a professional crossroads who has sacrificed family connections and is desperate for those choices not to have been in vain. The story quickly accelerates when businessman Amal arrives, charmingly brought to life by Norman Issa, famous for starring in the hit satirical television series Arab Labor.

The two men strike up a peculiar dynamic that launches an awkward, intimate dance, with psychological discomfort radiating from the screen. Director of photography Christian Huck deploys rich warm tones, mustard yellows, hotel carpet reds, and deep shadows that evoke classic European cinema. Complementing the aesthetic is the rich work of production designer Vladlen Odudenko, who makes the Ukrainian locations feel convincingly like an antiquated, labyrinthine grand hotel.

Rounding out the cast is Dar Zuzovsky as Eden, the flirtatious and engaging bartender who gets pulled into the chaos. Eden and Dov’s interactions lean into the surreal nature of the narrative, which remains entertaining from start to finish, complete with a memorable drug-trip sequence scored by an exquisite trumpet overlay that you will not want to miss.