"When you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you."

Rating: 9/10 (23 October 2006)

"Every civilization finds it necessary to negotiate compromises with its own values Forget peace now. We have to show them we're strong." Golda Meir, Israeli Prime Minister, September 1972.
This movie is not a factual recount of 1972 slayings of Israeli Olympic athletes by the members of Palestinian terrorist group "Black September" in Munich, Germany even though it is based on the real events. After the murders, a group of Mossad agents are sent to Europe to track down and assassinate the Black September members responsible. What the movie explores is how in doing so with burning desire to find and punish the murderers, in following the ancient law of an eye for an eye, the searchers for justice nearly become terrorists themselves. You can't just look into abyss and stay the same because, "When you look into an abyss, the abyss also looks into you."
In his new, easily one of the best films he ever made (in the same line as "Shindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan"), Spielberg looks at terrorism from many different angles. He does not justify killings, and there are many, many terrifying killings in his film and behind every death there is a human character and every character is a real person, not cartoonish villain or a super-hero. Devastating, powerful, and controversial this film will split the audiences and will have as many admirers as haters.
9/10