Repetitious Gore Fest Not As Deep As They Say

Rating: 7/10 (11 January 2006)

"Munich" is a tedious gore-fest that is nowhere near as deep and complex as director Steven Spielberg and script writer Tony Kushner think it is.
If you want to watch a beautiful, young, naked woman bleed to death on screen in real time, "Munich" is the film for you.
If you want complex discussion of issues surrounding terrorism, there are better outlets for you.
Much has been written lately about how films and television are suffering because audiences have new media from which to get their entertainment and their information.
Such is the case with "Munich."
After 9-11, millions of citizens around the world began seeking out, and creating, media devoted to discussing terrorism. Steven Spielberg and Tony Kushner seem completely unaware of these media and the debates going on therein.
Just one question unaddressed by "Munich," but very hotly debated by the vox populi: Is there something inherent in Islam that makes terrorism inevitable among Muslim populations?
You may answer "Yes," or "No," but however you answer, you have to acknowledge that it is a hot question, one "Munich," if it really wanted to be an intelligent film, had to address, and did not.
While failing to fully intellectually engage the questions they adopt, do Kushner and Spielberg bring home the simple human pathos of terrorism?
Not for this viewer. The plot is simple, and tedious: an assassin hunts down and kills a series of men whose name appear on a list he's been given.
The aesthetic is the aesthetic of the most exploitative slasher flick. There are buckets 'o blood on screen, and dismembered body parts.
The depiction of this slaughter glamorizes the job title, "International Assassin." The crew of assassins is attractive. You'd want these men to date your daughter. The crew includes the eye candy of frequently shirtless Eric Bana, and Daniel Craig, whose tight behind and turquoise eyes are often shot in shameless exploitation.
The assassins are shown bonding, behaving powerfully and ethically, while having fantastic and exciting adventures, and eating really good meals. Just as after "Saving Private Ryan" young male viewers wanted to be soldiers, after "Munich" young male viewers will want to be assassins. So much for Munich's "ethical" "exploration" of "issues."
The plot is tedious. That's one guy killed; now on to the next guy. And the next guy. And the next guy. Yawn. Look at watch. Eye theater's "exit" sign. Think about walking out.
Does the tedious plot, the lame "discussion," the vivid gore bring home the tragic cost of terrorism and revenge in a way that other media, covering the same question, do not?
I remember Munich.
I didn't watch TV coverage; I followed it on the radio. I can remember exactly where I was when the news was broadcast that the athletes had been murdered.
I was aghast. Paralyzed with grief and fear. I could do nothing for hours afterward but somberly ponder the consequences of this horrible act, and its inevitable consequences.
Another example: After 9-11, the New York Times published "Portraits of Grief," a series of one paragraph biographies of the victims of 9- 11. Like millions of other readers, I found reading these brief, simple bios unendurably moving. Reading a one paragraph biography of a victim of terror moved me much more than all the whoop-de-doo fake blood splashed on the screen, and shallow hand wringing, in "Munich."