Graphic, honest, gripping, balanced, deep - Superb!

Rating: 9/10 (2 March 2006)

If there is one message that I got from this excellent movie it's not political, but more human. The message I got was that life is about family. Through all the tragic scenes of the events at the Olympic Village and airport, the subsequent scenes of bloody revenge by Mosad you are shown the human side of all the characters.
From the PLO operative at the safe-house in Athens, to Avner to the other members of the Mosad team. They all have their loyalties, but always comes back to family. The PLO operative statement that after he dies there will be his children, their children etc etc. The son of the PLO target in Beirut, who we see later guarding the grounds at the attempt on Ali Hassan Salameh.
Then within the Mosad team, Carl's doubts over their exact motive and justification, his son lost in 1967. Robert and his emotional weakness before the Netherlands killing, returning to his own family, i.e. his solitude, models and defusing bombs. Steve, even though we don't hear him speak of family, his concern for the documents expert Hans, who is killed by the River Seine, is suggestion of Steve's feeling for the 'family' of the Mosad unit Then finally Avner, in the last few scenes haunted by the athletes deaths suddenly becalmed and comforted by his wife. And, his realisation that he and his family are now the ones at risk suspecting even his own countrymen.
I think that Spielberg can be rightly proud of the film which he has created and the writers Tony Kushner/Eric Roth, and the original author of the book George Jonas. I would go as far as to suggest that this film left me with the same deep emotional impacts as Saving Private Ryan. A film that younger people should be exposed to as a lesson from history of how man can be.