Nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Munich is undoubtedly director Steven Spielberg’s best work since Band of Brothers (2001). At two hours and 44 minutes, the film moves along at a surprisingly quick pace. Spielberg makes adequate use of the time, providing added depth to the characters and illustrating the changes each undertakes in the course of his mission.
Writers Tony Kushner and Eric Roth, the latter of whom is best known for Forrest Gump (1994), team well together in producing a splendid screenplay. The characters are well-rounded and the dialogue well-constructed. Instead of aiming for zinging one-liners or melodramatic sound-bites, Kushner and Roth craft the film’s dialogue to mark the pace of the of story, illustrate character motivations, and make subtle but not overblown commentary on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Overall, it makes for an enjoyable and worthwhile movie experience.
Munich chronicles the historical events of the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany in which a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September storms the Olympic Village. While the entire world watches, eleven of the terrorists evade capture after murdering twelve Israeli hostages. Torn between calls for peace and vengeance, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (Lynn Cohen) orders Mossad to form a secret unit of assassins to hunt down and eliminate the perpetrators.
Mossad agent Avner (Eric Bana) is tasked with heading a team of five individuals composed of himself and four others known only as Steve (Daniel Craig), Carl (Ciaram Hinds), Robert (Mathieu Kassovitz), and Hans (Hanns Zischler). Each man is chosen for the unique skill set he brings to the table, and the group is left to its own devices when it comes to locating and killing the eleven terrorists who are scattered throughout Continental Europe. Methodically, they carry out the mission. But as they eliminate their enemies one by one, each man must grapple with the transformative influence such a job has on his perception of life, family, and country.
Article comments
1 - Aaron Fleming
Yeah it's a brilliant film, for all the reasons you've said. Perhaps the biggest compliment I can lay upon it is that it makes me forgive War of the Worlds.
2 - Chris Evans
Although I liked the film--it was in no way a worthy Best Picture nominee. Although I suppose I'm glad they nominated this film instead of War of the Worlds.
3 - Bryan McKay
I hate to be nitpicky, Britt, but Spielberg's only involvement with Band of Brothers was as an executive producer - he didn't direct a single episode. Calling this his best work since the series is a bit misleading.
4 - Donna A.
I have yet to see this. I have it on my Netflix list.
Donna A.