Spielberg pulls a "180" on Israel.

Rating: 5/10 (2 January 2006)

Before laying out money to see Steven Spielberg's much-hyped Munich, I would urge you to read a recent explanation in the Wall Street Journal as to why people who support Israel are outraged by Hollywood's latest attempt to undermine the struggle against Muslim terrorism.
The movie, surprisingly, characterizes terrorists more sympathetically than the Israelis who combat them. Its historical accuracy is highly dubious. Spurious straw man arguments are put in the mouths of Israelis in support of their actions. A false dichotomy is created between supposed Jewish ideals and Israeli behavior, as if it were a tenet of the Jewish faith that they should passively let their enemies slaughter them. The movie's hero ends up turning his back on Israel, and regarding the Mossad as the enemy.
In an apparent effort to support the bizarre reasoning of some who seem to regard terrorism as a natural and legitimate response to our response to it, the butchering of Israeli athletes that sets the story in motion is put at the END of the movie. Evidently, the intent is to disorient viewers as to cause and effect, leaving a subconscious impression that Israel's punishment of the Palestinian killers is the only thing that made them kill in the first place.
Tony Kushner, who was brought in to rework the original screenplay, considers the birth of the state of Israel to be "a historical, moral, political calamity," the policy of the Israeli government to have been "a systematic attempt to destroy the identity of the Palestinian people," and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to be an "unindicted war criminal." Little wonder, then, that there was little, if any, pre-release publicity attached to this project.
Be warned: Spielberg (aka The Maestro), for all his God-given talent, has produced the most expensive anti-Isreali political statement in the history of the Middle East. He's apparently forgotten that Israel is presently surrounded by nations and ideologies that pray daily for guidance on how best to complete what Hitler began.
NEVERTHELESS, this is a beautifully shot, brilliantly acted film. My Chicago homeboy, Janusz Kaminski, gives yet another example of why he is arguably the greatest cinematographer in film history. Bana & Rush are again very compelling, as are the myriad Isreali & Sabra actors featured here.
Truly, I regard The Maestro as the preeminent storyteller of modern film. As such, my disappointment aside, I'll again be first in line to see what he comes up with next.