With such horrifying subject matter as real event terrorism, most people might overlook how beautiful and stylish this movie is.

Rating: 10/10 (12 February 2006)

I didn't even want to see the movie. It was, believe me, my last choice for a movie to see. The premise certainly wasn't appealing. And I am so much looking forward to seeing Hoodwinked. So... wasn't my choice. BUT... oh man, was I surprised.
I walked in expected to be preached at about revenge and the seriousness of Middle East conflict, and how it will all be so corny and predictable (why not? Catch Me if You Can was). Oh, how I was so wrong.
One big thing, it's exciting and cool. I know terrorism is a grim subject matter and war is not funny, the Munich thing was based on true story and it was horrible. But darn it, I can't describe it in any other way. This movie is so cool. Go blame Steven Spielberg for making it with such style (he didn't do it in any of his last movies, I don't know why he starts now). It's even more artsy than Crouching Tiger. Each killing of the terrorists were as delicate and well crafted as the ones in Godfather's final scene. Add that to various beautiful European cities in the background, it was just pure pleasure to all of my senses.
It's funny how a movie like Crash, which was advertised to be a complex movie with many plots, turns out to be very simple and easy to understand (and it was very good in its own right). Where a movie like Munich, that make you think the plot is so simple, a group of people was asked to kill all the terrorists that was responsible for the Munich massacre, turns out to be so much deeper than... any movie I have ever seen.
I might sound exaggerated. But I have seen a lot of movie that is trying to do many things in the short amount of time it was given, thus making it feel incomplete or rushed, even after 3 hours (Pirates of Caribbean, King Kong, Capote). Munich didn't hold back. It has tons of story to tell and it will tell it. It went from one scene to another with care. Unlike in King Kong and Capote, if a guy is going to enter a building, you will see him walk into it. Not seeing him sitting in one building in one shot, then immediately the next shot he's doing something else in a park. This movie is so confident with its timing, it went on and on without a hint of hurry. .
Think about this. There are 12 terrorists that the main characters have to kill and only 3 hours to do it (this is a long movie). Walking in, you are probably thinking that at most they will kill 8 or 9. Or they may kill large number of them in sort of a quick montage with orchestral music playing... Nope. Every terrorist killed has a plot line that comes with it. It's like a bunch of short movie. And it just keep going and going and each one is better than the next. Then we have CIA, French intelligence, Russian mafia, and Israel's own people getting involved, but it doesn't feel out of place or pretentious because each time a new plot was introduced, it was done with care. And the characters think about the situation, talk among themselves about it, then react to it. This movie takes its time to tell us its story, and in return, we take our time to think and understand it fully, even during our first viewing Like most kids growing up in the 80's and early 90's, I'm a Steven Spielberg fan. But most of his skill shines by making a movie great with his directing despite its weak or simplistic writing (Raider of the Lost Ark, Hook (actually it's still not good), Jurassic Park, Jaws, ...even up until recently, War of the World, Saving Private Ryan, and Catch Me If You Can). I think this movie, along with The Last Crusade and Schindler's List, Spielberg's skill finally get matched up with a highly skilled writer, and that results in a great movie that will be remember for a very long time.
Munich is so delicate and have so much class, it inspired me to do more with my own art. Crash and Brokeback may be 2005 front runner, but if it is not the best (I'm cheering for both Crash and this one), it is ONE of the best movie of the year. I think, with Godfather and Casablanca and Amadeus in mind, Munich is one of the greatest movie I have ever seen.