Munich (2005)

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

Director:

Steven Spielberg

Writers:

Tony Kushner (screenplay), Eric Roth (screenplay),

Stars:

Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciarán Hinds

Nominated for 5 Oscars. Another 15 wins & 24 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

After Black September's assassination of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972, Prime Minister Golda Meir okays a black-box operation to hunt down and kill all involved. A team of five gathers in Switzerland led by Avner, a low-level Mossad techie whose father was a war hero and whose wife is pregnant. It's an expendable team, but relying on paid informants, they track and kill several in Europe and Lebanon. They must constantly look over their shoulders for the CIA, KGB, PLO, and their own sources. As the body count mounts -- with retribution following retribution -- so do questions, doubts, and sleepless nights. Loyalties blur. What does it mean to be a Jew?

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Plot Keywords:

mossad | black september | olympics | athlete | palestinian | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Drama | History | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

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

Details

Official Sites:

UIP [fr] UIP [uk]

Country:

USA Canada France

Language:

English German French Hebrew Arabic Italian Greek Russian

Release Date:

6 January 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Untitled 1972 Munich Olympics Project

Filming Locations:

Bir-Hakeim Bridge, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$75,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$183,761 (Hong Kong) (17 February 2006)

Gross:

$47,379,090 (USA) (24 March 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

DreamWorks SKG, Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

164 min 163 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

DTS-ES Dolby Digital EX SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The time span between the start of production to the release date in December of 2005 was less than six months.

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Goofs

When the first Palestinian victim (the translator of 1001 Nights) turns at the corner at his house, right before his assassination (around the 37th minute of the movie) a modern parking meter is visible with a sign of a cellular phone.

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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?

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Connections

Referenced in Standing on the Shoulders of Kubrick: The Legacy of 2001 (2007)

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Soundtracks

"Neo Koritsi"
Arranged & Performed by Manolis Papos
Courtesy of Extreme Production Music USA

User Reviews

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