Film Review: "Munich" (2006)

Steven Spielberg's controversial Munich, inspired by George Jonas' book Vengeanceand based on true events, is the story of a group of five Israeli men who were tasked with hunting down and killing the Palestinian terrorists who murdered 11 Israeli athletes in Munich, Germany during the 1972 Olympics.

Although this portrayal makes the country look ruthless on the strategic level yet head-shakingly clumsy at the operational level, I would hardly say "Munich" is anti-Semitic or anti-Israel. What it is first and foremost is a tale of the psychological toll that the operation took on its participants. By way of comparison, the self-criticism that the Israeli agents put themselves through and the moral dilemmas that they deal with in "Munich" stands in stark contrast to the indiscriminate tactics of Palestinian operations over the years which have involved killing men, women and children at pizzerias, discos and wedding receptions with pride. In that sense, one could see "Munich" as pro-Israel and by extension, pro-West.

There is a touch of moral relativism (one Israeli hitman asks another, "Did we not kill to get our country"?), and the fact that the Palestinian leadership refused to accept a two-state solution as offered by the international community on more than one occasion prior to 1948 is never mentioned. Nor are the two attacks that were launched on Israel by its Arab neighbours prior to Munich in 1948 and 1967, both of which resulted in humiliating Arab defeats despite their efforts. However, this is Hollywood, so one must keep their expectations somewhat low. The danger in that is that people who are unfamiliar with Middle Eastern history in the mid 20th-century may see "Munich" and conclude that there is no combatant more virtuous than the other in the Israel-Palestine conflict. As a supporter of Israel, I would disagree.

As a piece of filmmaking, I'd say that "Munich" is not for everyone. It's lengthy, humourless, dark and grisly. I would also say that although it's good, it's certainly not worthy of the nomination it garnered for "Best Picture".

Put it this way: if you're a fan of current events and international affairs you'll like it a lot more than if you aren't.

Overall rating: 8/10