022: Munich Review
Everyone who was alive in 1972 should be able to recall the horrific events that took place at the Olympics that year in Munich, Germany. 11 Israeli atheletes were kidnapped and eventually murdered by Palestinian terrorists from the group Black September. In Munich, director Stephen Spielberg (Shindler’s List, Raiders of the Lost Ark) recreates these horrific events and the aftermath, as well as one of the best films of 2005. It is important for the viewer to realize that this is not only an action film, although Munich is filled with edge-of-your-seat moments. This is one of those movies that keep the audience entertained, while presenting important themes. In this film, Spielberg shows the viewer that some violence is constructive, while some is deconstructive. The trick is knowing the difference.
The psychological political thriller Munich tells the story of Avner (Eric Bana, The Hulk, Troy), a former bodyguard, who is made leader of a secret team of agents sent to hunt down the people thought to be behind the devastating tragedy. He and his team of specially trained professionals (Daniel Craig, Ciaran Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler) are sent to various locations throughout the world to find, and kill, these men. They are paid off the books and have no official existence and their only contact with the Israeli government is a middle man, Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush, Pirates of the Carribean, Quills). The five men, each with a special part in the assassinations, are cut off from their families and risk their lives to kill people they don’t even know.
There’s one scene in this movie where the men are trying to blow up one man. To do this they plant a bomb in his phone and the scene plays out in a very Hitchcockian way, full of suspense. Three of the men wait in the car, Avner is on the street and the last one is at a payphone. They wait for his family to leave. Then they get ready to execute their plan. What they miss is that the daughter of the man about to be assassinated has run back into the building. Oblivious, the man at the phone dials the number and, as luck would have it, the daughter picks up. This is one of those scenes where everyone is on the edge of their seats, waiting for what might happen. Fortunately for the audience, the man on the phone hears the little girl’s voice and they manage to stop the phone from blowing up. Finally the scene is over and the audience finds themselves able to breathe again.
To keep the film moving Spielberg always adds a new twist. Halfway through the movie the entire mood of the film switches as the viewer realizes that Avner and his men have become the hunted. This is Spielberg trying to show us all the circular pattern of violent acts. The terrorists killed the Israeli athletes which provokes Avner’s revenge squadron. Their assassinations of the Arab’s have provoked people to search for them. It is evident that this is a pattern that continues and is still relevant in today’s society. This twist was placed in the film at the right moment, because by this point the audience is growing tired of watching people they have no connection to being killed. However, now that the characters they have been watching for the past hour or so are in danger, things have become more interesting. It’s techniques like these that advance the plot and keep the movie feeling fresh.
The only problem I have with this film (and it’s a minor one at that) is the relationship between the audience and the characters. Out of the five men the only character the audience can actually feel connected to is Avner. By showing us scenes like Avner flying to Israel for his daughter’s birth and breaking into tears after talking to his family on the telephone, Spielberg allows the viewer to sympathize with this character and proves that he is a man who is not only a killer. However, the Avner’s character is so strong that one almost forgets about the lacking characterization of the others. Munich shows Avner’s moral journey throughout the course of the film. When first given the mission, Avner questions nothing but when it comes time to make the first kill, he hesitates. As more and more plans are executed, Avner begins to pay less attention to the morality issues he is facing and eventually ceases to care.
I will now take the time to congratulate the visual effects crew. The lighting in Munich grows darker as Avner and his men venture more into the dark side of human behavior and morals, much like the 2003 film Thirteen. This brings a certain atmosphere to the film that is irreplaceable. Another person who deserves praise is the Australian actor Eric Bana, who delivers an award-winning performance as Avner. Bana is one of those rare talents that appear every few decades, and, though he hasn’t been in very many starring roles, he is someone to look for in the near future. Supporting actor Daniel Craig delivers another good acting performance as Steve, the trigger man full of homicidal fury. Look for Craig as the new James Bond.
Spielberg has said of this film that “there is no peace at the end of this”. He has tried hard not to take sides and by doing so, takes both sides. He uses dialogue to showcase the good part of Israel, while later showing their questionable retaliation against the Arab’s. The film is rated R and with good reason. The content in this film should only be presented to those who actually know what to do with it and a lot of the things shown in the film are downright disturbing.
Munich is based on the novel Vengeance by George Jonas and still applies to today’s politics, especially the current war on terrorism. In the film Spielberg asks the audience to decide whether Israel risked more than it gained, a question that should be asked of modern events. By presenting this information in the form of a thriller, Spielberg gets the message out to the audience in an effective way. In the film, the Prime Minister of Israel, Golda Meir sums up current events better than anything else: “Every civilization finds it necessary to negotiate compromises with its own values… Forget peace now. We have to show them we're strong."
