penultimate-1 Reviews

Munich (2005)

Means even more if you watched the tragedy of Munich 1972

[10/10 · 29 December 2005]

I don't think the "perfect" movie has been made yet. I don't know that a masterpiece is necessarily perfect, so, viewers will undoubtedly find faults in this movie, some of which have already been expressed in the comment section. But masterpiece or not, I really liked this movie. It told a particular side of the story and told it well. And if you witnessed any of the tragedy of Munich in the summer of 1972, you feel a connection to the events portrayed in this movie. We, the audience, become a member of the hit squad able to empathize with the angst in becoming assassins with consciences, as collateral damage does matter. But the trouble with trying to maintain a conscience is that each notch on the belt is another slash of your humanity ripped from your soul. You squirm from living in the uncertainty of trusting people you are suspicious of in order to fulfill your mission. You nervously plan the pathway to the next target. You seethe with the frenzy of the kill. You perpetually twitch in the paranoia of becoming the hunted, "sleeping" with one eye open and a finger on the trigger. In the beginning you are swept away by your sense of duty to God and country above all else. In the end you are cynical, angry and afraid about what you have done and what you have become.

There are many other sides of this story. It is left to other movies or media to tell those versions. I won't take this one as a definitive history lesson on the subject. Instead I'll take it as a captivating tale of a struggle of life and death played on a complex stage of geopolitics.

Syriana (2005)

No Bullseye, but hits the board

[7/10 · 28 December 2005]

The 7 of 10 rating is on the mark. This is a good movie, but it is not all that it could be or maybe should be. It weaves an intricate web that for most will take repeat viewing or pre-viewing prep to really get it all. In that sense you are left to compare your version of the puzzle with those of your viewing mates. That is something I liked about this movie. It really makes you think, but it requires that you pay attention and not let the little points pass you by or you will be without the needed pieces. What I did not like is although the movie is complex, it is complicated by thin character development because you can't stay with one long enough to feel them out. We are left to read between the lines if you can remember which lines to read between. And while you are looking for the unifying theme (other than oil) you get entangled in the big conspiracy. But there seems to be a distinct flow in the movie logic - Greed begets corruption. Corruption begets compromise. Compromise begets betrayal. Betrayal begets hopelessness. Hopelessness begets martyrdom/terrorism, take your pick. In general it makes the world at large seem very bleak. Yet, while nobility does get smart-bombed, Hezzbullah has an honor code or political savvy, take your pick, all is not lost?

If you like cerebral and suspenseful thrillers, you'll like this movie. But to remind you (or show you) of what they were trying to achieve, take another peek at Traffic.