Munich Review

"Munich" reviews

Movie

Munich

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-06-09 23:26:18

Rating

3/5

Provider

CinemaSource

Review

Perhaps a tad long-winded, Steven Spielberg"s Munich is a still a well-crafted, superbly acted film centering on the aftermath following the shocking Israeli hostage crisis at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Let"s just say, it"ll get you talking.

Story

Munich will more than likely hit a few nerves. It begins with the horrifying events at the 1972 Olympics, in which a Palestinian faction known as Black September took 11 Israeli athletes, coaches and staff hostage and eventually killed them. What happened next, however, is where Munich takes off. Under the utmost secrecy, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (Lynn Cohen) and the Israeli intelligence agency, the Mossad, puts "Operation Wrath of God" into effect--the creation of hit squads, comprising of men from all walks of life, who are sent to eliminate those Palestinians responsible for the Munich massacre. We follow one such five-man squad--run by kind-hearted Avner (Eric Bana), a former Mossad agent--as they track down those on their list and assassinate them. Even though they each belief they are doing what is best for their people, soon their violent actions begin to weigh heavily on their souls.

Acting

In a film filled with top-notch performances, Bana leads off with a devastating turn as Avner, the only true Israeli of the squad. As the film"s emotional core, we see the actor change, in subtle ways, from being a happy, loving father-to-be to a burnt-out shell of a man, haunted by what"s he"s done and paranoid from its repercussions. Avner"s fellow squad members, too, have their own demons to wrestle. They include French director Mathieu Kassovitz, as a conflicted toymaker who is asked to build bombs; German actor Hanns Zischler, as an antiques dealer who specializes in forging documents; Daniel Craig (the new James Bond), as a South African hothead who wants to shoot and ask questions later; and Ciaran Hinds (HBO"s Rome), whose cool and collected demeanor belies inner turmoil. In supporting roles, Geoffrey Rush is sufficiently slippery as the Israeli bureaucrat who organizes the squad, while the beautiful Israeli actress Ayelet Zorer, as Avner"s wife, adds a touch of sanity to the madness.

Direction

When he is in a serious mood (i.e. no special effects or aliens to cloud his judgment), Steven Spielberg generally rises to the occasion and turns in his best, most thought-provoking work. Written with excruciating detail by Eric Roth and playwright Tony Kushner (Angels in America), Munich will undoubtedly inspire lengthy discussions--on what happened then and on how it still rings true today. Though neither the Israeli government nor the Mossad have ever officially acknowledged the existence of these hit squads, a number of documentaries and books utilizing inside sources--including the one Munich is based on by Canadian journalist George Jonas--have since provided details on "Wrath of God" and its aims--and the tense film is already getting flack for its subject matter. But it really goes beyond just the politics and zeroes in on the human aspects--from ALL sides. Of course, in trying to encompass all points of view, Munich tends to run on and has a tough time finding an ending. But it doesn"t detract from what you"ll inevitably take away from it--a need for peace.

Bottom Line

Hollywood.com rated this film 3 stars.

Copyright © CinemaSource 2006.

Movie

MUNICH

Author

anonymous

Date reviewed

2006-02-02 17:01:56

Provider

MRIB

Review

Spielberg dramatises the retaliatory assassinations of those involved in planning the attack on the Israeli athletes by a squad of Palestinian Black September commandos at the 1972 Olympics in Germany.

Following the events in Munich, Israel Prime Minister Golda Meir holds a meeting and a politically unacknowledged team is created to seek out and kill the individuals who planned the Munich attack. Avner (Eric Bana) is their leader, a quiet unassuming intelligence officer and former Meir bodyguard. He's passed information by Geoffrey Rush's go-between and the tension and action builds as each assassination by bomb takes place. As they progress, more names are added. Slowly, the cracks from the pressures - moral, religious, political and ethical - rise to the surface from the internal dialogues of Avner.

This is a brave film to make. There's no fixed historical and factual evidence of these characters (the script is based on George Jonas's book Vengeance). Both Palestinians and Israelis have attacked Spielberg for it and it might not attract a major audience due to its intricate plotting and turbulent tempo as much for it's subject matter. Spielberg has tried to take no sides. In doing so he's taken both and it's allowed him to ask many questions about the political, emotional and religious issues as well as the basic question that could be posed as "How can two wrongs make a right?" The balance between the drama and action is finely honed. Remember this is a man who can make Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan but also E.T. His cast are an unusual mix and no superstar brands means we're not diverted from the story in hand. Bana is excellent, providing an intensity onscreen like one of the bombs waiting to go off and Daniel Craig's Steve is remorseless as a ruthless South African Jew – perhaps showing us one small side of a Bond we may see late this year?

There are pangs of Spielberg embarking on another chapter of addressing the Jewish person's place in a global community. But there should be no question he's returning to trying to impress his peers, as essentially this is a thriller made by a master director. That he can combine his talent to provoke such strong debate is a bonus we should cherish.

Copyright © MRIB 2006.