The Best of 2005--#8

Rating: 9/10 (8 January 2006)

I am not one of those who resides in the camp that condescends to Steven Spielberg for being a successful filmmaker. Because the man makes money (a lot of money) with his films does not make them bad. The man makes original, compelling, and affecting films, regardless of how much money he earns as a result. He's made many stinkers (1941, Empire of the Sun, Amistad, Hook, and Always come to mind), but he is also the captain of Close Encounters, Jaws, ET, Raiders, AI, and Schindler's List. Spielberg may not be an auteur, inasmuch as there has never been what I would call a distinct style to his films, but they are manipulative and masterful in the best way possible. His movies jerk you around, make you cry, make you laugh uncomfortable, and scare you. He's a good filmmaker, and, in many ways, he reminds me of John Huston--another great filmmaker whose movies never had a "typical" John Huston feeling.
In any event, Spielberg's serious films have been pretty hit and miss for me. Schindler's is undeniably excellent, but Private Ryan and the Color Purple seemed simply okay to me. Munich belongs in the same category as Schindler's, as far as Spielberg's serious movies go, and it's also one of the best films he's ever made.
It starts off inauspiciously. The scene of the actual kidnapping and the kidnapping/murder's television coverage is phenomenal, but it sinks to mediocrity as the Israelis plan a response. There was something about that meeting sequence that just felt wrong to me. It didn't feel like a good movie but rather felt awkward for no apparent reason. Fortunately, there's nary a bum step from that point forward.
For the next two hours you're plunged into the tale of Avner et al as they set out to kill Arabs believed to be responsible for Munich. That Spielberg combines terrific action sequences with thoughtful meditations on terrorism and Israeli-Palestinian relations is incredible. I doubt anyone could have found a better balance.
It's also remarkable that Spielberg fails to take sides. I generally despise films that make a point of taking a solid position, so I was pleased to see a film that appears to be neutral on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. It's a complex situation and, really, both sides are screwed up. That's the way Spielberg presents it. He says look, the situation is totally f****d and both sides murder one another and that's going to keep happening and that's a terrible thing. The film doesn't pretend to have any idea about how to solve this problem, and, though that may upset some, I think that's an honest approach. Who knows how to deal with this problem? I don't know and I doubt Spielberg thinks he has the answers; it would have been false for him to assume the guise of authority.
Beyond the film's politics or lack thereof, there is, as I said, a lot to admire. Eric Bana was fantastic (which surprised me greatly), as was the rest of the cast, and the writing is top-notch, thanks, I would imagine, to the wonderful Tony Kushner. There's also a fantastic use of pacing. They edited this film in a way that makes it endurable. This film could drain you had they not decided to include pauses between relatively white-knuckle action sequences.
This is a stellar motion picture and one of the year's best.