a well-made film that wears out its welcome

Rating: Null/10 (13 December 2018)

Historical drama chronicles the 1972 Summer Olympics when a Palestinian terrorist syndicate known as Black September killed eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team. Seeking retribution, dedicated Mossad agent (and equally dedicated family man) Bana is handpicked to lead a shadowy mission to seek out those responsible, but at what cost? Intensely riveting at times, as well as expectedly visceral and shocking, with sturdy direction from Spielberg that captures the essence of an infamous time in history, but the tension slowly dissipates as the story unfolds. Bana effectively conveys his character's growing vulnerability and disillusionment with the task at hand, and the always dependable Rush has a juicy role as his no-nonsense handler. Gripping early on, but a lot of really good elements are undermined by the sheer length of the picture. **½