Murder in Munich

Steven Spielberg's new film Munich is a thought provoking, intelligent and polished political thriller that should not be missed. I went into this movie thinking that I wasn't going to like it at all. It's not the kind of movie that I usually enjoy, especially considering the subject matter; gruesome and very violent. Munich tells the story of what happens after the group Black September killed 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympic games. Based on George Jonas's book Vengeance, the movie was filmed in such places as Hungary, Paris, Budapest, and New York City. A group of hitmen are hired by Prime Minister Golda Meir and a list of Palestinian names are given to them; they are to knock off each man in response to the killings at the games. Leading the group of men is Avner, played by The Incredible Hulk star Eric Bana. The film follows the group as they go from killing to killing and we watch as each is affected by their task. One of the film's prevailing themes is that of having a home to go to. One ironic thing about the movie is that as the five guys go through their list of names, killing for their home of Israel, they lose a bit of themselves with each death and eventually lose their original home. Bana is very well cast as Avner and the movie features plenty of scenes set up to make one think. Spielberg has done an incredible job with a film of heavy subject matter. It's at least as violent, if not more so, as his film Saving Private Ryan and there are several scenes of very graphic violence. Spielberg has been criticized as sympathizing with the Jews and making the Palestinians out to be the true bad guys; I don't totally agree with that. I can see where they would get that, however, the guy who was the model for Avner was actually interviewed by Spielberg so are those criticized scenes artistic license or actual events? Only the real guy knows for sure. Several Israeli officials have acknowledged that the hit squad actually existed and though the film was inspired by actual events, there's no doubt that a number of things in the film actually happened. The film has a couple of scenes which threaten to become too preachy but there are some excellent scenes in which one can see why there is not peace in the world. There's an especially tense scene in which one hit squad comes into the safehouse of another hit squad and as the two teams face off with each other it's evident why the cycle of violence continues and continues. One minor character says that free will will be the downfall of society and she couldn't be more right. I totally enjoyed the artistic value and storytelling of this film and watching the transformation of the five hunting Israeli hitmen, especially as they soon become the hunted, is a visceral process. Even Avner, who claims that it's just a job and he gets up each day to kill and then go to bed, is haunted by his actions, which he claims have no affect on him. One scene which shows his paranoia getting the best of him is suspenseful and sad at the same time. At the end when Avner realizes the true consequences of what he'd done, how his life really will never be the same, it's not hard to ask the question, "Was it all worth it?" This is the film to beat, in my humble opinion, for the Best Picture race; assuming of course that it's even nominated.