Munich Review by Thom (5 Stars)

Munich Review by Thom (5 Stars) | MatchFlick

Steal of the Day

To Catch a Thief DVD
~~$9.99~~
$6.20
The Steal of the Day is offered by MatchFlick's DVD partner, FamilyVideo.com.

[help]

[more]

MatchFlick Member Reviews


	8 reviews review this movie read all reviews

Movie Details

All Movie Info

Starring:
Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Geoffrey Rush, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler, Ciaran Hinds, Brian Goodman

Directed By:
Steven Spielberg

Written By:
Eric Roth, Tony Kushner, Tony Kushner

Munich (2005)

email this review to a friend

Movie Review by Thom
May 13th, 2008

Questions, Not Answers

Favorite Movie Quote: "Suffering for a thousand years doesn't make us righteous."

If you're going to make a film about a controversial historical event or series of events, Munich is not a bad blueprint. While filmmakers are often drawn to subjects with their own baggage to unload, Spielberg instead opens the door to questions rather posting the answers on it and slamming it shut behind him.

Munich, the location of Black September's kidnapping and eventual assassination of eleven Israeli athletes there to compete in the 1972 Olympics, becomes the title of this tale based on the book The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team; most of the events in the film did happen, with disagreements only on the who and why.

In Munich, the main character is Avner (Eric Bana), a Mossad agent that is requested to head up a team of other specialized individuals and hunt down eleven men believed responsible for the massacre. Steve (Daniel Craig), Carl (Ciaran Hinds), Robert (Mathieu Kassovitz), and Hans (Hanns Zischler) are his team members that vary from concerned (Carl) to bloodthirsty (Steve), from determined (Hans) to reluctant (Robert). In the middle is Avner, who tries to balance the feelings of his team with what he's been charged to do while conflicted about how it must be done. His loyalties are torn between the country that he feels is mother to him and his own senses, between his case officer Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush) and his affable informants Louis (Mathieu Amalric) and former French Resistance fighter 'Papa' (Michael Lonsdale) with whom he has mutual respect.

The thing that I love most about Munich is that it never cops to any easy answers as it poses tough questions regarding complicated issues that we are still dealing with today. Throughout the picture, Avner is seeking justification for what he's doing; some of the members of his team have no such worries, while others begin to question their faith and worthiness.

Also, as the pendulum swings, Avner and his team of hunters must face the disconcerting fact that they eventually become targets themselves. This subtle connection reminds me of a quote from Friedrich Nietzsche: "Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you."

Worthy of its five Academy Award nominations as a flawlessly executed film, Munich hits the jackpot by being topical, meaningful, objective, entertaining, and informative.

email this review to a friend

Comment on this Review:

Sorry, you must be a member to add comments to reviews.

Join or Login.

Subscribe to MatchFlick Movie Reviews through RSS