September 5

Performances all believable, comedy in the right places, and a pacing and runtime that doesn't leave you peeking towards the exit before the credits.

For someone who didn't really know the story, the details of what went down truly interested me. They did a solid job of not telegraphing the plot points.

Some may find the lack of change of scenery tiring, but I think it worked in this case. I think they wanted you to feel like the control room is your world, and to feel as they did on this eventful day.

They touched on the political and emotional elements nicely. Making you think, without preaching.

Mixing in footage from the actual event, including broadcast footage as well, definitely draws you more into the experience. A nice touch.

While it's not a movie I really intend on rewatching over and over, it is a very well done piece that I'd recommend to friends who enjoy movies like this.

As I watched this movie I kept thinking of the Marshall McLuhan saying "the medium is the message."

I thought this was a film about the hostage situation at the Munich 1972 Olympics. But instead it was about how the ABC Sports broadcasting team scrambled to cover it. There were some dramatic and tense moments, culminating with the split second decision of whether Jim McCay should announce on air that all the hostages were freed and safe after they'd gotten word to that effect but couldn't get official verification. When he does, with the caveat "From what we're hearing" ABC is quickly proven wrong because, in fact, all the hostages had been killed (oh sorry, spoiler alert.)

This was pretty good. I gave it 7 out of 10 stars. I paid $6 to stream it. Probably coulda waited till it was streaming for free somewhere.

I love authentic historic dramas. Especially, in eras in which I have lived. This seems authentic. It's a story of which I am familiar and have seen told in various formats of film through the years.

As stated in the above title, I found this telling most interesting of all.

I saw Spielberg's Munich in the theater years ago and I remember still feeling that it was a bit overlong and bloated. Even boring, I hate to say. And metaphorical to a fault.

This version of the facts is more taut, the run time for this film is shorter, and the clock is ticking in the movie, and the lives at stake.

Also, airtime. You are in the control room of ABC's Wide World of Sports when the tragic terrorist events occur during the Olympics in Germany in 1972.

Cigarettes are smoked. Rotary dial telephones are used for communication.

And there is a major crisis unfolding in the Olympic village.

It's a good history lesson for Gen-Z.

Even appropriate for grade level history in classrooms, middle school and up, I would think but it's rated R, so no.

But history is hardly ever pretty.

John Magaro and Ben Chaplin shine most brightly with their stellar performances.

This is worth a trip to the cinema.

It wouldn't be a terrible idea to bring your high school aged child to the theater with you for this one.

They could stand to learn a little history.

They'll walk out with you afterwards and say, Did that really happen?

It's wild that this is the through line to present day news. From people experiencing dissonance between reported as fact and the coached, rehearsed for the public, information authorities deem they ought to have. But, at the same time, the real time feed presents immediate problems that are still present. Some information, in order for institutions to do their job without danger, has to be withheld. The problem is, said institutions are invested in their own well being so much, not reporting live, only has disillusioned people of their faith in the institutions. So misinformation becomes normalized and acceptable, so long as it feels and appears to be immediate, as though it is all the context needed. When, of course, it's produced and biased.

And so, technology has evolved rapidly in unexpected ways to continue to feed this loop that is only continuing to spiral.

It's timeless and historical and topical, and it's also why the tv show The Newsroom is absolutely Evergreen.

The attack at the 1972 Munich Olympics has been told in many ways, but September 5 takes a different perspective: that of the journalists who covered the crisis live. The film throws us into the ABC newsroom, where a team struggles to inform the world while the events unfold with unbearable tension.

The story feels real and intimate because it doesn't need to exaggerate the drama. There are no unnecessary reenactments or cheap emotional tricks. The pressure of the moment is conveyed through intense dialogues, uncertain glances, and the constant feeling that every decision inside that newsroom could change everything. It's a raw look at journalism when immediacy clashes with the responsibility of telling the truth.

The setting is excellent, and the pacing maintains the tension without forcing situations. While some parts may feel slightly stylized for cinematic impact, the film achieves its goal: making us feel the anguish of those who lived that day, not as mere witnesses, but as the ones responsible for informing the world.