Set in the aftermath of the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, the story follows a secret Israeli squad assigned to track down and kill the 11 Palestinians suspected to have planned the Munich attack--and the personal toll this mission of revenge takes on the team and the man who led it.
The movie is suitably directed by Steven Spielberg, the most successful and visible Jews in the world of film. The film has deep love for Israel, yet also questions Israel's policy of swift and full retribution for every attack.
The most touching moment to me was when a mother reminds her son why the state had to be founded: "We had to take it because no one would ever give it to us. Whatever it took, whatever it takes, we have a place on earth at last."
Eric Bana gave a rare strong performance as the man leading the secret Israeli squad.
What is great about the movie is that Spielberg is using the effective form of a thriller to argue that loops of mutual reprisal have led to endless violence in the Middle East, Ireland, India and Pakistan, the former Yugoslavia, the former Soviet Union, Africa, and on and on. Miraculous, that the pariah nation of South Africa was the one place where irreconcilable enemies found a way to peacefully share the same land together.
At crucial times in a nation's history, its best friends may be its critics. Spielberg did not have to make “Munich,” but he needed to. With this film he has dramatically opened a wider dialogue, helping to make the inarguable into the debatable . As a thriller, “Munich” is efficient, absorbing, effective. As an ethical argument, it is haunting. And its questions are not only for Israel but for any nation that believes it must compromise its values to defend them.
No wonder it got many Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing and Best Original Score.
(written with excerpts from Roger Ebert's movie review)
Verdict: 9.5 out of 10
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