Film review - Munich (15)

From the Swindon Advertiser, first published Friday 27th Jan 2006.

EVEN though it was nearly 34 years ago, anyone who was alive at the time is hardly going to forget the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich.

People certainly won't remember it for the sport horrific images of terrorism at its most terrifying were seared into the memory as members of the Black September organisation raided the Olympic Village and 11 Israeli athletes were taken hostage and murdered.

Steven Spielberg remembers the 1972 Olympics well. The film-maker, and American Jew, has now made an astonishing film which takes a fascinating, controversial and, dare one say it, thrilling view of the aftermath of the incident.

The Israeli government, desperate for revenge against the Palestinians responsible for the slayings, hire Avner Kaufman (Bana), a member of Mossad, the Israeli secret service, to hunt down 11 men and assassinate them. With a team of disparate characters from different backgrounds, all unlikely heroes but dedicated to Israel, they travel across Europe seeking out their prey, and eliminating them with varying degrees of efficiency.

The film is packed with tension, excitement and explosive action, but it doesn't take long for guilt to set in because we are entertained by the dubious morality of Israel's retribution. Is their eye-for-eye policy acceptable in a supposedly civilised world? Is it right to respond to violence with violence? Don't expect any easy answers from Spielberg.

But it is this approach from the director that makes Munich so good. After the atrocities in the German city, we as an audience are in sympathy with Israel and the leading characters. As Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir says: "There is legitimacy for this." We are also told: "This is not just a publicity stunt."

But terrorism was hardly off our TVs in the 1970s. We had our own problems with the IRA, but elsewhere in the world the Palestinians and Israelis were also trying to blow each other off the planet.

That was the stark reality in 1972 and Spielberg has worked hard to put a human face on it. Avner is a personable young man, happily married and about to become a father. As a trained agent, he knows his stuff. However, he is not depicted as a cold, ruthless killer, but someone who feels it is his moral duty to perform the deeds asked of him.

So Avner will cheerfully chat to one of his targets on the hotel balcony next to his, just minutes before the Palestinian is blown to smithereens. And he will talk to, but resist, the charms of a beautiful young woman in a bar, but think nothing of shooting her after discovering she is responsible for killing one of his team.

Bana, once an Australian stand-up comedian, is superb in this role, the film's heart and soul, giving a subtle performance that boils over into rage and frustration at just the right moments.

No one is better at telling a story on film than Spielberg, and his pacing and rhythm make the 163-minute running time fly by. Whatever your opinion of what the story is about revenge killings clearly nothing was solved. Terrorism escalated after Munich, and there have been far worse atrocities a final lingering shot in the film highlights the fact that little has changed since 1972.

And Munich leaves the door open for debate on how to tackle terrorism. So go and see the film, then sit down with someone and talk about it. After all, talking is the real solution to this problem. 8/10 MUNICH Starring: Eric Bana, Geoffrey Rush, Daniel Craig, Ciaran Hinds Cert 15, 163mins

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