http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005 by the authors Thu, 2 Mar 2006 09:31:18 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/03/02/050345.php#comment-328569 Munich was certainly an excellent film, but I just can't laud it as a best picture, primarily because it just didn't feel original or exceptional to me. It has been done before, a fact that the vast majority of reviewers seem to have missed. The source material George Jonas book Vengance, was adapted previously for a short TV mini-series starring Steven Bauer, Rod Steiger and Michael York called Sword of Gideon. Since both films draw fromt he same source material, they are virtually identical in plot and characterization, right down to the way some elements are shot. It is an interesting comparison and I wonder if Speilberg was familiar with this version prior to shooting Munich? Of the two, Munich is a superior work but Sword of Gideon stands up suprisingly well considering the disparity in budgets. Munich is good, but I think originality is one of the key factors that make a film a Best Picture, rather then a comparatively good one. 328569@blogcritics.org Thu, 2 Mar 2006 09:31:18 EST