"The Passion of the Christ" for Jews...

Rating: 7/10 (4 November 2006)

This film wasn't necessarily counter-programming to Mel Gibson's 2004 film which contained subtle anti-Semetic undertones, but it delivered a message that I paraphrase Daniel Craig with saying in the film: "Don't f#*k with the Jews." Steven Spielberg has shown a more mature style in his film-making since 1993s "Schindler's List," where he does not portray the story's villains as cartoonish, cardboard-cutouts as he did in 1981's "Raiders of the Lost Ark." He manages to capture and display not only the sheer ugliness of the violence, but the pointlessness and awkwardness it begets as well. Beginning with the disclaimer "inspired by actual events," the viewer witnesses events both real and staged of the massacre of the Munich Olympic Games in 1972. The aftermath is slow to begin with but picks up momentum and rising suspense at times after its second reel.
Eric Bana (from Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down") does an exceptional job as the Israeli assassination team's leader Avner Kaufman. The supporting members of the team including the future James Bond Daniel Craig are just as talented, and Geoffrey Rush plays the old salt of-a-boss with perfection. The movie intercuts occasionally with flashbacks of the massacre- progressively with more and more details until its finale. What intrigued me about this film so much was the accuracy of the details in the recreations that were matched so well to the actual terrorists in the documented footage. The Palestinian's terrorist leader actually did wear a white hat that resembled a pith helmet, and his deputy really wore a cowboy hat that was captured in the film as well. Even the mock-ups of the West German Hueys at the airport were accurate. Spielberg and his crew did their homework with this. There is a documentary on DVD called "One Day in September"(narrated by Michael Douglas) which recalls a play-by-play account of the tragedy of the Munich Games as well as the arrogance of the Olympic Committee, and the incompetence of the West German anti-terrorist command. Before a viewer criticizes the length of the film or its melodrama, rent this video first and then proceed with a critique.
I gave this film a seven because at times it seemed over-long and some of the scenes were implausible (like the Mossad/Palestinian meeting in the safehouse). Yet Spielberg shows a neutral point of view that was appropriate for this film in terms of violence begetting violence. The result of this message in the film angered a lot of people in Israel and also in many parts of the world, because nothing was accomplished by the film's end. One of life's critical ironies as well as concrete truths.