Munich (2005)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers (WGA):

Tony Kushner (screenplay) and
Eric Roth (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

6 January 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | History | Thriller

Tagline:

The world was watching in 1972 as 11 Israeli athletes were murdered at the Munich Olympics. This is the story of what happened next.

Plot:

Based on the true story of the Black September aftermath, about the five men chosen to eliminate the ones responsible for that fateful day.

Plot Keywords:

Mossad | Olympics | Munich | Terrorist | Palestinian

Awards:

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 21 nominations

Cast

Eric Bana	...	Avner
Daniel Craig	...	Steve
Ciarán Hinds	...	Carl
Mathieu Kassovitz	...	Robert
Hanns Zischler	...	Hans
Ayelet Zurer	...	Daphna
Geoffrey Rush	...	Ephraim
Gila Almagor	...	Avner's Mother
Michael Lonsdale	...	Papa
Mathieu Amalric	...	Louis
Moritz Bleibtreu	...	Andreas
Valeria Bruni Tedeschi	...	Sylvie
Meret Becker	...	Yvonne
Marie-Josée Croze	...	Jeanette the Dutch Assassin
Yvan Attal	...	Tony - Andreas' Friend

Also Known As:

Munich (Canada: French title) (France)
Steven Spielberg's Munich (Australia)
Untitled 1972 Munich Olympics Project (USA) (working title)
Munich (Argentina) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
München (Finland: Swedish title) (Sweden) [sv]
München (Germany) [de]
München (Finland) [fi]
München (Denmark) [da]
München (Norway) [no]
Münih (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Minchen (Israel: Hebrew title) [iw]
Minhen (Serbia) [sr]
Monaho (Greece) [el]
Munique (Brazil) [pt]

MPAA:

Rated R for strong graphic violence, some sexual content, nudity and language.

Runtime:

164 min | Philippines:163 min (cut)

Country:

USA | Canada | France

Language:

English | German | French | Hebrew | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES | Dolby Digital EX | SDDS

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | Czech Republic:12 | UK:15 | Singapore:M18 | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Finland:K-15 | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Argentina:16 | Portugal:M/16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Spain:18 | Philippines:R-13 | Sweden:15 | Iceland:16 | Malaysia:18PL | Malaysia:U (heavily cut) | Hungary:16 | New Zealand:R16 | South Korea:15 | Japan:PG-12 | Brazil:16 | Peru:14 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Denmark:15 | South Africa:16 | Canada:18A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | USA:R (certificate #42321) | France:U (with warning) | Australia:M (TV rating) | India:A (cinema release)

Filming Locations:

Bir-Hakeim Bridge, Paris, France

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

The role of Ephraim was intended for Ben Kingsley but he backed out due to a change to the ending of Steven Spielberg's earlier film The Terminal (2004). It caused the start of the production to be pushed back a few weeks later, thus conflicting with Kingsley's work schedule on Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist (2005).

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Avner and Ephraim are walking along the beach in Tel Aviv, the sea is to the left and the sun is casting shadows towards the camera, revealing that they are walking north. The scene must have been shot on the east coast of Malta, not in Tel Aviv, on Israel's west coast.

Quotes:

[first lines]
American Athlete: Hey! Oh! Shame, shame! Closing down the beer garden. 100 meter dash powered by knackwurst and lager.
American Athlete: Where are you guys from?
American Athlete: What is your event?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Munich: The On-Set Experience (2006) (V)

Soundtrack:

Des millions d'amoureux

Spielberg may be out-of-touch with the masses in terms of entertainment today (WOTW) – but when he sticks to serious topics, he carves out sensational fares like this one

Munich may just be Spielberg's greatest accomplishment ever and it isn't a sweeping epic like you'd expect, but a patient psychological thriller that sneaks up on you and takes you and shakes you. It not shy away from blood, politics or nudity in its portrayal of events and this makes it extremely intense, absorbing and occasionally very violent.

The first half of Münich is not altogether different from a heist drama; a group of diverse men with different skills team up to accomplish a mission. They get to travel across Europe, make deals, infiltrate suspect facilities and manufacture explosive devices. Unlike heist films, however, their mission is not for personal gain, but for the government. They are to assassinate eleven Arabs who were alleged to be behind terrorist attacks like Münich 1972. So the more accessible part of the film sees Bana and his men botch their way through a hit-list as inexperienced hit-men, fumbling and trembling with the weight of this somber new task.

This part is so extraordinarily well-handled and engaging with a tone so tense and shadowed by politics and ethical dilemmas that every slight pause is mistaken for humour. It is also an excellent portrayal of an era - the 1970s - with great eye for detail, all carefully sewn together by a master tailor (Spielberg). It is a fantastic piece of film-making.

While Munich keeps you interested throughout, it gradually loses its fresh thriller edge by opting for more typical scenarios. Eric Bana's character goes through emotional struggles because he finds it too hard to kill people. He thinks about his family--his wife has just had a baby girl. He wonders if he is doing the right thing. He starts sympathizing with the Arabs. He wonders if they killings will stop once he has completed his mission. Everything is classic and you saw it coming. It needs to be present in the film for a balanced portrayal but the hackneyed formula with which it is expressed is disappointing. It started so promising, after all.

Sadly, the culmination of this slightly hackneyed recipe manifests itself in the final scene of the film and it is absolutely dreadful and drags the whole film down by at least one star - but overall this is superb quality that is carried by a strong ensemble cast (Geoffrey Rush, Daniel Craig) although it is ultimately Bana's show. He captures the inner turmoil and hesitation of his character in the most believable way, making Munich into a worthwhile adventure for its performances alone. But most importantly, it dares to asks questions.

8/10