A heavy, thought-provoking and inspired Spielberg film but a little wavey

Rating: 7/10 (24 February 2006)

STAR RATING: ***** The Works **** Just Misses the Mark *** That Little Bit In Between ** Lagging Behind * The Pits
A true story from Steven Spielberg, depicting the massacre at the 1972 Munich Olympics by Palestinian fundamentalists of Israli athletes and the subsequent and immediate backlash by the Israeli authorities who wanted swift retribution for the atrocity.
On the day I went to see Munich, I'd had to get up a bit earlier than I usually would to go to a (distant) relative's funeral in the morning and I'd travelled straight from there to another destination up to see it, so maybe that had worn me out a bit, or maybe I just wasn't in the right frame of mind to sit through it on the day, but either way after about two thirds of the way through this 164 minute Spielberg saga, I must admit I found myself nodding off for a little while. Or maybe it was just that, despite the thought-provoking and inspired subject matter, Munich could emerge as a fairly boring film in parts, which is a bit of a problem for films this long. I'd sat through and enjoyed a similar sort of film from Spielberg, Schindler's List, which I ended up rating as one of the best films I'd ever seen, but I was able to see that at my own leisure on video, unlike Munich.
In between making big special effects filled blockbusters like War of the Worlds and Jurassic Park, Spielberg likes to make more deep and meaningful stuff like this and Schindler's List as well, making him a varied sort of film-maker. I admire him for this and like to try and give more credit to this sort of work than his cinematic eye-candy stuff. But I just didn't see Munich as a perfect work.
Maybe there wasn't enough humour and light-heartedness in it, maybe there is something morally black about the story. It certainly has a strong cast to guide it, in the shape of Eric Bana, Daniel Craig and some Israeli supporting cast members, as well as a good story to go with it. But as interesting as Munich can be, it can be just as boring in equal measure. ***