A View into a Violent World

Rating: 8/10 (14 July 2006)

Much has been said about this movie, so I wont repeat the obvious. There are a couple of parts that aren't clear, like when the Israelis bunk with the Palestinians, and the bomb-makers and an older team members death.
The sexual aspects of the female assassins death, and the final sex scene are absolutely shocking, and I think the last scene has people grasping for interpretation a lot, but I think its fairly clear.
Intercutting the final horror of the 72 Olympics tragedy with Av having sex with his wife may be understood by anyone who has had sex while grieving over a recent death. The mind wanders to topics that you suppress. Bana went on this mission still having not emotionally digested the full horror of what exactly happened in Munich. In the final scene, Av finally releases his grief over the sadness of what happened at the stadium, and his wife says 'I love you'. Its all about the price of grief that has to be paid for violence and the only redemption that can heal, love.
I've never seen anyone dare to do this in a film, and Spielberg obviously doesn't give a flip about whether people get it or not. Its there to make you cry and maybe think. Its not just some banal manipulation.
The juxtaposition of Bana's mother telling him its OK to kill so that Jews have a home, with the Palestinian Ali's statements about how the Palestinians are fighting for a home is also telling and thought-provoking. Av himself talks with his wife about her being his only home. Ali also says 'the world will see what we have become and they will ask questions about our conditions...' Very true indeed, and on my mind right now with the Israelis wandering the ME like avengers in their expensive US-funded jets.
Spielberg is a famous Jewish person and he sees some equality in the conflict, so I take his word for what its worth. Maybe he doesn't, but he makes a good point that the killing just doesn't end. People think the final scene with the two towers is excessive, but what it does is show us that, back in 1972, we were only just beginning on this long cycle of death, and that the killing continues.
Spielberg is no idiot. People need to look deeper into what he is trying to do before they mouth off about his banality or supposed lack of sophistication. The film is not perfect, but its a real spy thriller, with almost too much information about how to assassinate people, as well as a multi-level thought exercise on violence, vengeance, the individual vs the state, and the times we live in. Pretty Great.