Munich 2005
Opening with the killing of the Israeli athletes by Palestinian terrorists at the 1972 Munich Olympics, this movie quickly becomes about vengeance as Israel seeks to execute the planners behind the attack. But what I really liked about the movie wasn’t just the action scenes and spycraft, but how quickly a simple act of revenge became incredibly complex in 70’s Europe with a number of other terrorist factions (IRA, Spain’s ETA, Germany’s Red Army Faction) along with the CIA and KGB in full Cold War posture. Operationally Israel wants nothing to do with this team of illegal assassins, but they do want the targets to be killed using explosives for maximum dramatic effect (um, just like the terrorists). These are a few of the issues that are brought up. Maybe they aren’t resolved, but 30 years later what has really been resolved in the Israel-Palestine conflict?
I thought this was a very well made movie that avoids the easy story and gives you something much more complex and realistic. Of course with terrorism on everyone’s minds today, there are plenty of parallels to the present. That just makes the story that much better.
There are some weak moments and the moaning soundtrack that has been used in so many other movies seems out of place in a movie with so little remorse for its violence. The story of the assassination team seems gritty and realistic but may be entirely made up. That certainly takes a lot of the impact out of the movie, but it probably stands on its own even if it is fiction.
This movie is one that will really challenge you and make you think, but still keep you on the edge of your seat. I’ll give it an A.
Written: 09 Jul 2006
Owned on: Blu-ray, Digital