Munich: a good film a weak political statement

Rating: 6/10 (30 January 2006)

I can safely say that Munich is a well crafted film. Spielberg presents a sobering and serious character study of a man given a grisly and dangerous assignment. The film itself is engrossing, beautifully shot and believable. Eric Bana, with a simply perfect reaction to hearing his baby daughter speak on the phone, establishes himself as a heavyweight actor.
That being said, Munich is a highly manipulative film. Spielberg makes clear by his emphasis on and juxtaposition of certain elements that his contention is that to respond in an "old testament" fashion to terrorism is pointless and merely continues the "cycle of violence".
This logic is seriously flawed if you put it to the test. First of all, there is no moral equivalence between a terrorist act and violent action against terrorists. Terrorism is the deliberate targeting of civilians and non-combatants to create fear among the general populace to manipulate the political landscape. Terrorism is cowardly, reprehensible and the last refuge of the ignorant and incompetent.
The "cycle of violence" argument is weak. If a thug punches some lady and takes her purse, is the cop that forcefully arrests said thug perpetuating a "cycle of violence"? Of course not. Spielberg's other contention in the film is beautiful and noble. It is stated by the character Robert played by Mathieu Kassovitz. He states that all the years of suffering and persecution that the Jews have gone through has made them righteous and that they shouldn't "lower" themselves to the level of their enemies.
I believe that only someone like Spielberg who was born and raised in America and who has lived in relative safety, affluence and luxury his entire life could actually believe in the impractical course of "inaction" that he espouses.
I also have a problem with the depiction of the cold, methodical methods used by the Israeli hit-men, particularly when the film goes so far to paint the Palestinian terrorists almost as innocent victims of circumstance. In the movie, the Palestinians who slaughtered the Israeli athletes are shown sympathetically as if there actions are simply responses to forces greater than themselves. They shoot in confusion and desperation, while the Israelis are portrayed as calculating and reasoning.
If this was not merely my perception but a goal of the filmmaker then there is really an inherent racism in the film. It depicts the Palestinian terrorists almost as sub-human, which is really a cop-out and downplays the cruelty and heinous nature of their crimes.
As a film, "Munich" is of high quality. As a political statement it is disingenuous and naive. I would only recommend this film to those who have an informed sense of history. Specifically, research the history of the Levant and the Six-Day War.