Munich

Rating: 8/10 (12 August 2009)

I thought this was a war film, with the title location and being directed by Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Steven Spielberg (Jaws, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan), but actually it turned out to be much more interesting and bold than that. Based on the true story, set in 1972 at the Olympic Games in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes were taken hostage by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September, and then murdered. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Jewish Mossad agents to track down and kill all those responsible for the murders. These agents are: Avner (Eric Bana), Steve (Daniel Craig, the year before becoming James Bond), Carl (CiarÃ¡n Hinds), Robert (Mathieu Kassovitz) and Hans (Hanns Zischler). They are relying on paid informants to help them find those responsible, and when they do, they use quite extreme methods to kill them, most involving trigger bombs. As the bodies pile up, the sleepless nights increase, loyalties blur, and they question the morality of the mission. Also starring Ayelet Zurer as Daphna, Geoffrey Rush as Ephraim, Moonraker's Michael Lonsdale as Papa, Mathieu Amalric as Louis, Lynn Cohen as Golda Meir and Moritz Bleibtreu as Andreas. The performances are all fantastic, the explosive sequences add to the drama of the film, and Spileberg's direction ensures a brave and effective thriller film. It was nominated the Oscars for Best Motion Picture of the Year, Best Editing, Best Music for John Williams and Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay, and it was nominated the Golden Globe for Best Screenplay. Very good!