MUNICH

Steven Spielberg tackles the Israeli-Palestinian conflict with the dramatic, thriller MUNICH. The film is centered around a group of Israeli assassins who have been called by their government to serve on a mission of retribution and revenge. During the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany eleven Israeli athletes were kidnapped and murdered. The group of Israeli assassins’ mission is to kill each of the men responsible for the tragedy in Munich.

Spielberg has been lambasted by both Israelis and Palestinians for MUNICH. Each side has been critical of the film, as Spielberg doesn’t take a firm stance either way. MUNICH is a hard look at a conflict that is not easily diagnosed. The five Israeli assassins struggle with the moral implications of their mission to varying degrees. Spielberg has crafted a morally complex film with no distinguishable conclusions, and an extremely riveting thriller with intense moments of great danger, and characters whose motives are not entirely known. Bana provides MUNICH with a person who is passionate, caring, complicated, deadly, and when all is said and done, confused. His Avner is inevitably where I believe we see Spielberg through MUNICH. Although he is a passionate Israeli, determined for his cause, he isn’t convinced his actions or his government’s hard line position is the right approach. MUNICH is a morally compelling must-see movie.

Grade: B+