Spielberg support for the return Palestinian homeland from Israel

Rating: 10/10 (7 March 2008)

Steven Spielberg explores the assassination and murder of eleven Israeli Athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics by one of the many Palestinian Liberation groups known as "Black September". Spielberg demonstrates that extremism of the Israeli Secret Service Mossad in exacting revenge by the perpetrators of the Munich Massacre. He clearly shows how the Israelis acted illegally in murdering the members of Black September and the futility of revenge. Spielberg masterfully manages to present the views of the Black September who committed the terrorist act as a means to tell the world that they want their homeland , Palestine back from the Israelis. It is refreshing to see films that give some understanding of the injustices committed against the virtually unarmed Palestinians when their country was taken forcefully by the formation of Israel in 1948. Although Spielberg is of Jewish background he has managed to produce a film that condemns Israel and presents us with the concept that the Munich Massacre may have some justification. He did however fail to highlight the fact that the German Government deliberately failed to save the Israeli athletes by putting the hostage incident in the hands of proved incompetent German Police and Public servants almost ensuring the death of the hostages. A huge fault with the film is that Israeli Mossad Operative Avner ( Eric Bana) has flashbacks of the incident which could not have possibly experienced which made me really wonder about the over rated Spielberg directing skills. Bana's moribund and monotone droll depiction of his character combined with Geoffrey Rush's character , head of the Mossad makes the Israeli's look like incompetent but determined clowns who come close to murdering innocent children. No mention is made of the Israeli Stern gang and their acts of Terrorism.
This is a very significant film which should be shown in all schools so they get an alternate view to the Israeli-American view of the Middle East.