How precious is "home"?

Rating: 9/10 (7 February 2006)

"Home is everything" In the midst of this tense, violent tale of retribution for the assassination of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, is this fundamental yet poignant reminder of why there is so much unrest in Israel. Both Palestinians fight for their homeland and that supersedes all other calls for peace. Spielberg creates a film that resonates with his own Jewishness and yet is placed smack dab in the middle of the issue to the dismay of both Israelis and Palestinians. Eric Bana does a convincing job showing us the conflict between his desire to do right by his country and his need to provide for his growing family. His cohort of fellow assassins are a motley group of men who, in their quirky way, endear us to them and their cause. The movie the tense moments surrounding the 1972 Munich Olympics as the scene is juxtaposed between the actual telecasts and the movie. We then are taken to the board room where Israeli Prime Minister, Gold Meir assesses the situation and decides to send Avner (Bana) to head a team of killers to pay back Israel's woe. In her own words, "Forget peace for now. We have to show them we're strong." Throughout the tension of each of the killings-some comic and some close calls- the viewer is prodded to ask "Is this really the best way to punish wrongdoing?" "Is this the most effective and acceptable method of responding?" Even though the film is grounded in Spielberg's own Jewish proclivities, you cannot help but have some semblance of sympathy for the Palestinian cause when you hear the Palestinian freedom fighter declare, "Home is everything". As one who has visited Israel and who has grieved with the rest of the world at the horrors of the Holocaust, it is easy to understand the Jews longing for a homeland and how Israel is the best fit. However, you can also understand the plight of the Palestinians who have been forced to be refugees and who also lay claim to Israel. Perhaps it is for this reason that "Munich" ends in an open-ended way, leaving the viewer to make up his own mind and making a bit clearer the consequences of both positions.