Great acting, unique Spielberg style, but long, drawn out, and lacking realism

Rating: 5/10 (24 December 2005)

Everything accomplished in the film could have been portrayed in about 40 minutes less. Parts of the film just dragged on and on without developing the characters or the story any further.
My biggest gripe with the film, however, is the way in which foreign languages are used to create a realistic atmosphere. Throughout the film, bits of German, French, and Arabic are thrown in to make the environment seem more realistic, however, there is almost no Hebrew used in the film. Yes, in the beginning you here part of a media report in Hebrew, but as the film progresses, it is almost hard to remind yourself that the main characters are Israeli. It seems that Spielberg wanted the audience to believe in the Arab terrorists, the French money makers, etc, but lost his focus on the main characters of the movie. I almost jumped out of my seat when Avner walked into the Israeli Consulate in NYC and all that was heard in the office was perfect English.
The length of the film and inconsistencies with realism hurt this film's introspection into the right and wrong of revenge.