One of 2005s Best Films!

Rating: 10/10 (8 January 2006)

This is one of Spielberg's best films. The reason for that is simply that Spielberg addresses both sides of the issues between Israelis and Palestinians. Certainly he is pro-Israeli. But he is not anti-Palestinian. What we see in "Munich" that is even more convincing is how the leader of the Israeli assassination squad, Avner, played by Eric Bana, is that with every step of reciprocity that the Israeli's take, they lose something more internalizedtheir very identity is threatened to become everything that they have sought to prove and believed in. For example, in one scene, one member on the squad approaches Avner and says that he cannot go on doing this. He begins to weep. He says he doesn't even feel Jewish anymore and that the ones involved in the terrorist plot in Munich must be brought to justicenot simply murdered. As the film approaches its end, we see Avner, then living in New York City with his wife and child. After his mission, he has become extremely paranoid and feels that the Israeli Government may be trying to kill him to cover up any relationship to the assassination squad. One of the government officials played by Geoffrey Rush approached him and tells him essentially to calm down and not worrythey aren't after him. However, as their conversation goes on, Bana invites Rush's character to dinner at his home. Bana says something along the lines of, "Well, you're a Jew. I'm a Jew. Isn't their something written in stone that I have to invite you to my home for dinner? We can break bread together." Rush's character simply says no and walks away. You come to realize that everything they stood for has been lost in search of revenge, rather than justice. It all comes to bare on the most popular quote in the movie, given by the actress who plays Golda Meir, "Every civilization finds it necessary to negotiate compromises with its own values."