Spielberg was brave to do this one.

Rating: 8/10 (23 May 2006)

Writing a review of Munich independent of my personal experience during the war proved a difficult task. After all, I did have nightmares of Israeli operatives targeting all my family members ruthlessly and without any remorse the night I saw it. This says something though, that the movie got to me and for that, I have to give Spielberg credit. I also have to give him credit for being courageous enough to do it. Despite my countless reservations on his so-called objectivity, he did criticize the Israeli revenge policy, advocating the premise that violence only begets violence.
The movie recounts the events of Operation Bayonet, the Mossad's retaliation to the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972. On the surface, it is an action-packed thriller with good guys and bad guys. The good guys are Israeli agents who speak English to each other while the bad guys are overweight Arabs who only speak in a language the average American will not understand without subtitles (which were not always provided for some reason). But Spielberg manages to sneak in a few scenes that instill doubt in both the viewer and the agents (at least some of them) that maybe the unquestionable morality of the operation is in fact questionable.
Munich is highly entertaining, despite its long runtime. It has its cheesy moments but also its confrontational and thought-provoking ones. Although I was expecting a movie that is highly biased  don't get me wrong, it is biased  I felt it sent a strong message to Israelis and to the rest of the world. The best way to describe it is in Carl's (Hinds) words: "I knew guys like you in the army. You do any terrifying thing you're asked to do, but you have to do it running. You think you can outrun your fears, your doubts. The only thing that really scares you guys is stillness."