Munich (DVD, 2006, Widescreen)

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.

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.

'Munich' is, on the whole, a straight forward hit-man movie. The assignments are handed out; the team is assembled, each with their own specialty; and they travel about Europe plotting and carrying out their hits. We have the inevitable paranoia, the double agents and suspicious loyalties. So far, so familiar. Only 'Munich' is wrapped in the thin veneer of 'history' and 'fact', and mob bosses and corporate espionage is replaced with Middle Eastern politics and Israeli-Arab relations. I mention this because the politics of 'Munich' are really nothing more than a topical plot devise, used the same way as cold-war relations and soviet villainy was used thirty years ago.

What prevents 'Munich' becoming just a generic updated-cold-war thriller, is the sheer quality of the production. From the flawless recreation of European capitals in the early seventies to the impeccable costume design to the beautiful cinematography – 'Munich' is a visually fascinating movie. The performances are universally outstanding, with Bana in particular bringing a sense of tough nobility that seems to be his forte. The script is intelligent and thought-provoking, and it is Kushner's focus on the emotional and psychological landscape of his characters rather than the details of political contract killing, that ultimately lifts the movie above the generic. The kind of self-consciously poetic prose for which he is known, so often seeming unrealistically erudite, is kept to a minimum, and when it does appear, is so beautifully written and performed that all reservations are forgotten.

Ultimately, the greatest praise must be reserved for Spielberg, who has, with 'Munich', created perhaps the first truly adult movie of his career. We see no signs of his trademark sentimentality, his descents into fantasy, his childish simplification of motivation. With 'Munich', he embraces ambiguity and complexity, and as a result, has invited criticism from those who prefer their drama simplistically black and white. Above all, one can't help but wonder what the Spielberg oeuvre would look had he not dedicated his career to kid's movies, fantasies and feel-good sci-fi.

'Munich' is an intelligent and gripping thriller that is a major contender for award recognition, and deservedly so. An outstanding achievement

Steven Spielberg's best. This is another top Spielberg film. Rates next to Schindler's List. A true story, based on facts of the Israeli's after the terrporists who killed their olympians, in the 1970s. A story of treachery
and dishonesty. And Murder. Revenge. And bloodshed and accountability.
For those in us, that remember, this story. And want to know more about what happened, and why-this is a story for the rest of us.
I would recommend this story to most criminologists, who want to know what it is like on the other side....of the grim wall of justice. If you came through this period of time and remember these things, this would be an addition to your personal library.
DAniel Craig, portrays Avner Kaufman. Far from being Hulk, this is his finest role, to date. A versatile actor, with the ability to make you see what he feels. A loving wife, and a daughter he never saw, Avner tires, of the hunt, and worries that he will never see his family again. Slowly the 6 man team is dwindled down to 2 survivors. A message from Israel to the rest of the Terrorist Community around us, we don't bargain...and we will seek retribution on our people. The message is clear in the movie. Spielberg has outdone himself, with a movie/documentary on the Munich Olympics.
While the rest of us stood in shock and awe, at what happened, It was world leaders, who stood by and watched what slowly unfolded, around the world.
Terrorists, were mostly in the Middle East. After Munich, it seemed they were everywhere. And this movie shows and points out, that they are...
this movie will hit close to home, for a lot of us.

Ever wanted to know what really happened during the olympic games in munich 1972 from the Israeli point of view? Of course you can with this DVD, however it comes with a Hollywood twist. This movie is based on real events which is why it is so great!

The footage and camera work in this movie is signature Spielberg. The movie is a must see flick of 2006. The events that take place are captured with a realistic quality that few movies and directors can match. The story is touching, moving and receives two thumbs up.

I would recommend this movie for any historian, athlete, israeli or palestinian for that matter. This movie riveting.

Eric Bana delivers an extraordinary performance. The supporting cast is perfect as well.


AWARDS
Wins:
AFI Movie of the Year Official Selection
Washington DC Area Film Critics
Association, Best Picture
Washington DC Area Film Critics
Association, Best Director

Nominations:
Academy Award, Best Picture
Academy Award, Best Director
Academy Award, Best Adapted Screenplay
Academy Award, Best Editing
Academy Award, Best Original Score
BFCA Critics' Choice, Best Picture
BFCA Critics' Choice, Best Director
Golden Globe, Best Director
Golden Globe, Best Screenplay
Washington DC Area Film Critics
Association, Best Supporting Actor,
Geoffrey Rush



Take it from me, this movie is definitely worth your time and this DVD has many great features that you cannot miss out on!