In the early 1980s, a clandestine unit of Mossad agents bought and reopened a deserted beach resort on the shores of war-torn Sudan, and used it as a cover through which to smuggle thousands of persecuted Ethiopian Jews to the safety of Jerusalem. When this story was declassified a few years ago, it made for a remarkable new chapter in the history of the Jewish diaspora — one that hinges on ancient Hebraic themes of exile, the divine value of a single human life, and the pursuit of a promised land where all of God’s people might live in peace.

Now that it’s been adapted to the screen as a generic Netflix thriller that emphasizes Israeli heroism over Ethiopian suffering (not to mention the bravery required for them to leave their homes and reach the coast), this story only makes for a dull footnote to the history of white savior movies.