Controversial film shows the moral vacuum of revenge

Rating: 9/10 (13 November 2014)

Munich is Steven Spielberg's fantastic drama about Israel's secret revenge program "Operation Wrath of God" in the wake of the 1972 Olympic Games massacre in Munich, Germany. While I believe Spielberg approached the subject with what he believed was a balanced and sympathetic perspective toward both the Israeli and Palestinian points of view, Munich is a film that powerfully shows the moral vacuum entered into when an oppressive government decides to inflict even more destructive terrorism on the people they're already oppressing. The leader of Israel's strike team, Avner, ends up looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life, knowing that he's created more terrorists than he's killed, and left wondering what he's actually achieved. Pro-Israelis and Zionists were outraged by the film and called for boycotts, and many reviewers blasted the film for insinuating that Israel's actions were actually worse than the terrorism they were responding to. One scene even allows a Palestinian militant to make a powerful argument for their cause, and the film ultimately makes the viewer question the kind of "eye for an eye" policies that exacerbate conflict rather than end it. Spielberg's film is expertly directed and the performances are excellent throughout.