Bold and worth watching, but significant flaws keep it from masterpiece status---6/10

Rating: 6/10 (8 May 2006)

Munich takes a bold look at the MidEast conflict by examining the 1972 Munich massacre and it's aftermath. Steven Spielberg, widely revered in both Hollywood and the Jewish community, puts his neck out by (finally) criticizing Israel and it's politics, if just a little. Israel would make you think it's an anti-semitic film, but in actuality it is a fair look at the pros and cons of both political views. Eric Bana and Daniel Craig lead a Israeli assassin squad ordered to hunt down and kill all those responsible for the killing of 11 Israeli athletes. While the movie has some really exciting scenes and tries to be fair, it is way too long and sometimes seems lost, like it doesn't know which direction it wants to go next. Spielberg could have easily trimmed a half hour of fat off the film. There were some really good scenes in the movie, but they were few and far between. I commend Spielberg for taking risks and giving Palestinians a few moments in the movie to speak; i just wish he packed up all the good stuff in a tighter package. 6/10