Disappointing due to mixed message

Rating: 9/10 (29 December 2005)

Spielberg, I'm afraid, is more concerned about pleasing Hollywood than he is in pleasing Jerusalem.
Everyone knows there are no winners in a war against terrorism and that terrorism begets terrorism. This is elementary, so the movie has to be more than just that.
Everyone also knows innocent people get hurt in terrorism, so again, this message is juvenile because we all know that too.
So what is this movie primarily saying? You have to first see this through the eyes of the protagonist - Avner (Eric Bana).
First, Avner went through a 180 moral metamorphosis here. In the beginning, he was all for these assassinations. By the end of the movie, he no longer wanted any part in it and even defected from Israel. He didn't like it when he realized he and his family could be targets like the people he hunted down. I think the movie wanted you to identify (and side with?) Avner's reasoning/conflict.
Second, I believe the movie wants you to be disgusted with vengeance and the scene with the Twin Towers at the end was put there to heighten these feelings even more (to make it personal to Americans). Ultimately, terrorism can and did end up at our (USA) doorstep. Was the Twin Towers a result of Munich? Maybe indirectly it was. Is America supposed to wink at terrorism and do nothing because vengeance is wrong and ultimately doesn't serve a useful purpose except begetting more violence? I think everyone knows terrorism is in America because America supports Israel.
So what? What should Israel had done in the face of Munich? Nothing? What are we Americans to do about terrorism today? Not support Israel anymore? The problem in the Middle East is much deeper than Munich. Because I believe Golda Meir and Israel's act of vengeance were projected in a negative light, I believe this movie ultimately will sway people against Israel and thus our support of Israel.
For that reason alone, I find this moving wanting. The Middle East Conflict is much bigger than any retaliation of one event (Munich). If Spielberg wanted to make a statement against retaliation, he should have picked a better forum than Munich.