Munich

Munich

Munich city has a checkered past, It was the place Neville Chamberlain tried to appease Hitler with an agreement to avoid another war. It is also the place where a Nazi leader was assassinated in 1941 during the height of second world war and perhaps the only successful assassination by Allies. Also, more recently in 1972, Munich was the place where 11 Israeli Olympians were massacred by terrorists belonging to Black September organization.

So, I have been waiting for this movie for a while and glad I got to see it. Munich is about the Israeli revenge for the 1972 Olympic assassinations that killed 11 of their countrymen.

ItÂ’s a relatively long movie by Hollywood standards but not unusual for Steven Spielberg. He has produced yet another remarkable movie about a historically significant event. In a movie that runs over 160 minutes, he tracks how Israelis go about eliminating the people they consider responsible for Munich massacre.

There are many characters in the movie and none I could identify. But the lead role donned by Eric Bana stands out. He plays the role of the team lead Avner deputed by Israelis for this special project. Eric has brilliantly portrayed the transformation of Avner from a hesitant novice killer to a person consumed by the assignment and how he starts eliminating targets with clinical precision.

This movie raises some key questions about the use of violence as means to resolve issues and how they could only be temporal. Several characters from opposing camps, vehemently argue how it is only seeding more violence.

Despite the gripping nature of the theme, movie does tend to drag in several places. I am surprised how Steve Spielberg let that happen.

To a large extent much of what happens in the international polity in the recent decades have been revolving around Palestine andKashmiri issues. This movie sheds some light in to a historic eventalbeit fromm an American Jewish perspective.

Direction – A (for solid handling)

Screen Play – B (for letting the movie drag in few places)

Acting - A (for solid performance by Eric Bana)

Overall - A (for shedding light in to a historic event of our times)

Bottom Line - Watch it

BTW, I also saw two other Hollywood movies – Kiss Kiss Bang Bang & Fun with Dick and Jane. Not much to say about either of them. While the former was an absolute waste of time, the later was at least comical in some places. In anycase, I am not much of a Jim Carey (Fun with Dick and Jane) fan, I watched both of them just to kill time during my long flight back home.

Related Links

Munich Trivia Goofs

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang

Fun with Dick and Jane

Munich City History

Operation Day Break

Munich Agreement