Product ReviewsMunich (DVD, 2005)

Very good, but flawed at times, still wonderful film.

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...

Spielberg back on track with MUNICH!!!!

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...

Lessons of History

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.Read full review...

Munich a bit sporadic but well produced thriller

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...

Munich...

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...

GREAT MOVIE. REALISTIC. TOUCHING. MOVING. MUST SEE! A++

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!Read full review...

Munich

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.
Eric Bana, 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.Read full review...

The politics of revenge drives Munich-a must see

This is a movie that gets under your skin. Built around the aftermath of the massacre of Israeli atheletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, the film focuses on its effects on a group of agents who are assigned to strike back. This takes a toll on their leader, Avner, played by Eric Bana, who begins to question the ethics and effectiveness of what they are doing.
Avner belongs to a generation of sons and daughters of Holocaust survivors living in a country surrounded by enemies who have vowed to wipe them from the face of the earth. It's a viable threat in light of their history and a recent wound. The ghosts of victims he'll never know drives Avner and the birth of his first child provides him his only real hope for the future.

Steven Spielberg doesn't take the easy way out. He looks at the issues from several vantage points and opens a dialogue on the politics of revenge. Spielberg seems to do his best work when it comes from the heart as it did with "Schlinder's List." He was criticized from several parties for venturing out of a strict politically correct viewpoint with this thought provoking and controversial exploration of a very complex issue.

In the end there are no easy answers and we leave the film as shaken as Avner, but maybe with a bit more understanding.Read full review...

Great Film

"Munich" is one of my absolute favorite movies. The filming, the character development, the dialogue, the superb acting, and the cinema verité quality of the suspense and thrills make this one deserving of all the acclaim it has received. Don't die without seeing this one.Read full review...

Verified purchase:  Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: dvdexplosion231

Munich

"Munich" is a cautionary tale that graphically depicts the futility of violence and revenge as geo-political tools. The attack on Munich and the subsequent targeted assassinations form the loom on which Speilberg weaves a morality play that condemns violence by both the Israelis and the Palestinians. Basically, this movie is a powerful expression of Gandhi's statement that an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. Those who criticize the film as though it were an historical docudrama miss the point. "Munich" uses violence to create a cinematic call for non-violence. What I don't understand is does it have to be so graphic! Some one the images stuck in my mind and I can forget them. Caution to the light hearted.Read full review...