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Munich (DVD, 2005)
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Set in the aftermath of the 1972 massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics, Munich recounts the dramatic story of the secret Israeli squad assigned to track down and assassinate 11 Palestinians believed to have planned the 1972 Munich massacre -- and the personal toll this mission of revenge takes on the team and the man who led it. Eric Bana stars as the Mossad agent charged with leading the band of specialists brought together for this operation. Inspired by actual events, the narrative is based on a number of sources, including the recollections of some who participated in the events themselves. There are times when making movies, directors and producers seem to forget their audiences and they are so intent on trying to cram everything they can possibly cram into a movie that the movie loses a little bit of its effectiveness. Munich is a wonderful movie that is so riveting at times its like you are tracking the Arabs yourself but then at times it forgets itself and becomes somewhat boring as it mires itself in every small detail of every small job the characters must pull off. It is not necessary for us to see every moment of every job or even all the jobs for the movie to be effective, in fact if they skipped a few of the events they could have tighten the storyline and kept the audience that much more enthralled. The movie is nearly three hours and it feels like it is three hours at times and at other times whole hours slip by as you are so engrossed in the characters. The movie is a powerful look at the conflict that is still nearly tearing the Middle East apart as bloodshed just leads to more bloodshed. After everything they do and everything they endure they change nothing except themselves and how they feel about a mission they no longer believe in. The movie tries to teach tolerance and that a piece of land is not more important than the lives it cost to take it but sadly those who should hear this tale will not. You and I may feel the power of the movie but it will not change the Middle Eastern conflict but it not bring back the lives lost nor the blood shed. Eric Bana may be one of the finest young actors in Hollywood that nobody has really heard of and that’s because not only has he not really done that much yet but also because he has mired himself in several roles critics can easily take pot shots at him like Troy and the Hulk. But it is Bana that sells this movie as you can almost visually see his character grow as the movie progresses as he evolves the movie evolves right along with him. He loves, he lives, he kills, and he regrets. But he is not alone as Daniel Craig and Geoffrey Rush add their own stories of change and not wanting to change. Craig is happy with who he is and he hates freely, he never questions the mission and he never questions himself. Geoffrey Rush is the more cautious type he believes what he is doing is right he just wonders if their might not be a better way to go about it and eventually he loses faith in what they are doing as well. The movie is a character driven movie as you learn to feel for and understand each of the four and in the end its not the events that mattered but the lives they forever changed. The movie is powerful, it is drawn out at times, and it is a movie you must see.Read full review
It's thought provoking, it's balanced and director Stephen Spielberg doesn't waste anytime getting to the heart of the issues or the action. Munich works on a number of levels as an audacious political statement, a tense thriller, and an inspiringly brutal look at two peoples forever caught up in a cycle of violence, constantly drowning in a sea of their own blood. It's a bleak vision and Spielberg carries it off beautifully, providing us with a clipped and tight back-story, where the Palestinian terrorists invade the Olympic village in Munich, killing two members of the Israeli team and taking another nine as hostages. The Israeli response is swift and fast with Prime Minister Golda Meir (Lynn Cohen) authorizing a top-secret assassination campaign which will carried out by the security agency Mossad, aimed at wiping out those who had planned the attack. It is left to the hunky Mossad agent Avner (Eric Bana) to emotionally and strategically shoulder most of the burden. The team is a seemingly innocuous and innocent mix. Daniel Craig's Steve is the group's impulsive hard-liner, a strapping Israeli itching for reprisal, often clashing with Ciaran Hinds' Carl, the cleanup man. There's a sweet-faced bomb expert named Robert (Mathieu Kassovitz), and a thoughtful muscleman (Hanns Zischler). As Avner cooks dinner, they all get to know one another, hashing out the fine details and the boarder implications for themselves and for the Jewish state. And so the methodological killing begins, yet as Munich progresses, what remains of certainty vanishes, replaced by a thousand conflicting agendas. This is a world where the rule of the law is superfluous and where allegiances are none, the only constants are mistrust, paranoia, and the need to find more names, which inevitably comes at a price. No one is ever who they are, a drunk on the corner may be CIA, or KGB or the seductress at the hotel bar might be a hit woman. Spielberg wisely avoids any soapbox speeches, but he does allow his characters to present both sides of the argument: At a safe house in Athens, Avner is confronted with a young Arab who tells him if the desperate need for a Palestinian homeland, a place they can call their own. And back in Israel, Avner's mother tells him that Israel is their land, finally they have a home and they will fight to keep it. In Munich the themes are universal - the moral imperatives of violence, and in what circumstances can one justify such senseless murder. As Avner and his colleagues continue their operation, they become psychologically immune to it all. Yes - the operation may be successfully carried out, but how long will it be before righteous anger - the anger of the Israelis - can be continued before stumbling into bloody-mindedness? The irony is that in demonizing these Palestinian terrorists, they are themselves acquiring similar gruesome aspects. It's all about the cycle of violence, a common problem that has plagued the Middle East for generations and will probably continue to do so. Munich deftly shows that everyone has their reasons for hating the other side - whether it is religious intolerance, or the fight over land rights - everyone ultimately thinks they're right, but such a stalemate can never be broken by killing people whatever side of the fence you are on.Read full review
Pros: This movie will make you think. Its very serious subject material. It's very interesting to see how the roles change in how trying to defeat the terrorists they become more like them than ever imagined. The switch from the hunter to the hunted and how money buys influence really is indicated in this movie. The characters and their thoughts really draw you in. This movie also reminds you to learn from lessons of history or you are doomed to repeat them!! I recommend this movie highly!! Con: The movie is long. You will need to take breaks. It is serious subject material. Do expect to feel good afterwards.
I didn't think Spielberg would employ overly-graphic violence in a film he directed... I was wrong. The overall production was well done considering it was potentially a documentary of the Munich murder repercussion by Israeli activist members. 2 other films come to mind that create a similar atmosphere: "3 Days of the Condor" where Redford is a CIA-type operator who is thrust into a similar political/economical tryst albeit not of his own doing, and a film called "The Conversation" where Gene Hackman, a electronic guru bugger reaches a similar inevitability as the Israeli hit team does, the hunter becoming the hunted. Although the acting was more than adequate, the scene changes seemed very abrupt without enough background to identify exactly what the goal really was, even after viewing a 2nd time. But in general the screenplay (once you were clear who was hunting who) keeps the viewer on that seat edge throughout the entire 2 hours & 44 mins. I recommend seeing it twice, once to hash out the historical particulars and again just for appreciation's sake of the harsh reality of opposing ideologies clashing on the screen.Read full review
This movie has so many wonderful qualities to it. First, the acting. Eric Bana is simply outstanding in the lead role. Daniel Craig, in his role as supporting actor is phenomenal. I was NOT however, impressed with Golda Meir's portrayal in this movie. It was very watered down, making her appear to be merely the final decision maker behind a team of advisors. That was not the case. She was, and still is, one of the finest examples of female leadership, and that could have been showcased. It would not have taken anything away from the film, it would only have added to it. As with all movie based on true stories, this is difficult to watch in parts. Highly emotional. If you can't handle violence, this is not for you. I think parts of it could have been less gory, but when working with facts, it is often best to stick to the truth, as difficult as it may be. For some people, it will be "just another movie". For me, it is a piece of history that has been encapsulated in movie form and it will forever remind me of how much has been lost, and how far we have yet to come.Read full review
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