MUNICH is a powder keg

Rating: 9/10 (23 December 2005)

MUNICH is a powder keg. It is a film that is so steeped in controversy not because of its content, but because of who made it. The most famous director in Hollywood, Steven Spielberg, has crafted a film that is so brave not because of its content but because of its point of view. This film is about Israel and it's ongoing conflict with the people of Palestine, and it doesn't paint a pretty picture of anyone involved.
In 1972 thousands of athletes and spectators poured into Munich to celebrate and compete in another Olympics. All was well until 11 Israeli athletes were taken hostage by a terrorist faction called Black September. All 11 men were killed. In its aftermath the Israeli government hired five Mosad agents to go undercover and kill the 11 men who were responsible.
The film follows Avner (Eric Banner) the leader of this group on his mission to get revenge for the Munich Olympics. Avner is a regular guy placed in a position that at first seems justifiable. But as the body count gets higher and he finds himself justifying more and more killings, we the audience are left wondering if the ends really do justify the means. Were the Black September terrorists really evil and uncaring or were they men without voices trying to make somebody listen? Is revenge really the best weapon? Does killing those responsible end the real violence? MUNICH poses questions and leaves the audience to sort out the answers.
MUNICH is not a film about the battle between good and evil. It's a film about evil fighting an even worse evil. It's about human futility and about how vengeance doesn't solve a problem it only makes it worse. It's about corrupt Nationalism and corrupt ideals that turn good people into monsters and the corrupt governments that penalize the monsters they've created. But at the heart its about the regular guys who are fighting turf wars with regular guys and how given the right circumstances we all have the potential to do evil masquerading as good.
And yet trying to nail down the intentions of Munich is quite difficult. You certainly can't cheer Avner. He's no hero, but you also can't fault him for his outrage. His countrymen were killed senselessly, why shouldn't his people retaliate? Why shouldn't the terrorists pay for their sins? The major flaw and yet its strongest attribute it that it fails to take a side. It fails to define just what evil is. It allows the audience to watch from a distance and doesn't attempt to drown the audience in political correctness. But can these warring factions both be right? Is there ever an end? Where does America fit into the story? Does America's support of the state of Israel make us culpable? The film shies away from those answers (except in the final shot that speaks far more than any in this film). Is that a good thing? I don't really know, what I do know is that this is the kind of film that will put people on both sides of the Israel/Palestine conflict on the defensive. If you think strongly one way or the other MUNICH will anger you.
I applaud Spielberg for the brave choice of choosing an Israeli as the focal point of the story. If this had been about the Palestinians it would have been so easy (at least for me) to accept the Arab people as the villain and the Jewish people as victims. But at the end aren't both sides Victim's of each others misguided Nationalism? It's easy to paint terrorists as the evil party. But good and evil are never black and white and sometimes bad things happen on both sides. But revenge never gets us anywhere, and Munich shows us characters that are so normal becoming Monsters. They may be justified in their anger but are not helping the situation. This is a bold position to take.
MUNICH is not a black and white film and it should be dissected. IT should be discussed and it should be a lesson to those who see the issues of Israel's right to exist, not as a black and white thing but as a problem that will only go away when both parties wake up and take responsibility for their hate and anger. The ongoing tensions in the middle east will not be solved by American guns but by the people of the middle east putting down the guns and asking for forgiveness from each other. Would that ever happen? Will the fighting ever end? Not until someone can fix the darkness in every human heart.
Post-script: After writing this review I must say that the film MUNICH is inspired by actual events and that my comment are not meant to be skewed either right or left. The current problems in the Middle East are numerous and complicated and I myself only know very little. The above review are my thoughts after viewing the film MUNICH and not on the people of ISRAEL and/or PALESTINE. I believe they both have a right to exist and be defended, and I pray for peace in that region.