Someone once said that although the Jews and the Palestinians hate each other they are really very alike, both ostracized and abandoned by the world with equal proportion, and that, and not twisting the facts to make a movie, is the interest director Steven Spielberg has in the Munich Olympic ... Read review
BabelBrilliantly conceived, superbly directed, and beautifully acted,Babelis inarguably ... more
one of the best films of 2006. Director Alejandro González Iñárritu and his co-writer, Guillermo Arriaga (the two also collaborated onAmores Perrosand21 Grams) weav...
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Munichis a film with no easy answers, and plenty of uncomfortable moments. It also finds ... more
Steven Spielberg on masterly form behind the camera, telling a relentlessly serious and unsettling story with the gravitas it absolutely requires.Set immediately a...
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Release Date: 2008-01-01, Rating Suitable for 15 years and over,
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Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 1999 - Drama, Thriller - Director: M. Night Shyamalan - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Olivia Williams, Glenn Fitzgerald, Mischa Barton, Bruce Willis, Haley Joel Osment, Toni Collette
Advantages: Spielberg Disadvantages: How truthful is this?
...Steven Spielberg has in the Munich Olympic disaster of 1972.
Some critics couldn’t resist having a pop at the great director, saying his film was factually incorrect and it was not made clear in it that some of the people killed by the Israel hit squad the true story centers around were only vaguely connected to the Munich Olympic disaster. But they missed the point here in that the film wants to fully explore the emotions of the ... ...at their enemies to revenge Munich and beyond, that tit-for-tat that followed proved Mossads plan was foolish as the terrorists would always be replaced by their number twos, the next number ones of course, meaning another list of eleven men to be killed.
Spielberg and his team of writers were not trying to prove it was a worthy thing to do back in the seventies but it was what the Israelis and Palestinians always do to maintain the Status ... more
Someone once said that although the Jews and the Palestinians hate each other they are really very alike, both ostracized and abandoned by the world with equal proportion, and that, and not twisting the facts to make a movie, is the interest director Steven Spielberg has in the Munich Olympic disaster of 1972.
Some critics couldn’t resist having a pop at the great director, saying his film was factually incorrect and it was not made clear in it that some of the people killed by the Israel hit squad the true story centers around were only vaguely connected to the Munich Olympic disaster. But they missed the point here in that the film wants to fully explore the emotions of the killers and how they questioned the logic of what they were doing.
Although the idea of the revenge killings was to send a message to the world that Israel would not be bullied and picked on like they were in the war, preempted strikes at their enemies to revenge Munich and beyond, that tit-for-tat that followed proved Mossads plan was foolish as the terrorists would always be replaced by their number twos, the next number ones of course, meaning another list of eleven men to be killed. Spielberg and his team of writers were not trying to prove it was a worthy thing to do back in the seventies but it was what the Israelis and Palestinians always do to maintain the Status Quo. Yes we have empathy for the likable assassins and the Palestinians targeted in the film get few lines of explanation in return, but that’s why the story is palatable because the killers were normal people given an extraordinary task. Would your loyalty be tested for such a mission when you know that 90% of European Jews were murdered by the Nazis and your only sanctuary of Israel was also being threatened?
The action begins with the Palestinian terrorists being helped over the Olympic village gate by some American athletes. The heavily armed group called ‘Black September’ quickly over-run the feeble night time security of the Israeli teams quarters, all this in the heart of a country that not twenty years ago were trying to exterminate the Jews, the hostage drama played out on the worlds TVs, really incensing the Israeli government, Jews slaughtered in Germany again for all to see. As the dead Israeli athletes are named, straight after the Germans bungled rescue attempt at the airport, a high level and secret meeting is convened in the bowls of the Israeli parliament-the Kenesit-to draw up a list of Palestinian names to suffer the same public fete.
After the tragic event calms down Israeli Prime Minster Golder Mayer (Lyne Cohen) and some close military officers decide to put together a team of covert assassins and weapons experts to take out all those deemed responsible, eleven names for eleven dead Israelis. An eye for an eye. Clearly some of the Palestinian people selected on the list are not so much involved in Munich but the terrorist struggle in general. The team of five picked do not yet know or question that.
Heading the team is clean cut Mossad agent Avner Kaufman (Australia’s Christian Bale in the excellent Eric Bana); the son of a heroic Israeli General and soon to be father to his expecting wife Daphne (Ayelet Zuter). He is chosen to lead because he is an upstanding officer and ‘Yakki’ Jew, a Jew born in Germany but bought up in Israel. His driver will be 007 himself in the bombastic Danny Craig (with terrible South African ascent), backed up by two Germans, explosives man Robert (Mathieu’s Kassovitz) and Hans the forger (Hans Zischler); the clean up man in Carl (Ciaran Hinds) completing the team. Their point- man, a kind of ‘M’, is political operative Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush).
Through a secretive and apolitical French intermediary, names are supplied to Avner and his team, and they don’t come cheap. But with money as no real object the plan is to take out the terrorists suspects in the most imaginative and public way, but not enough to risk capture as the guys are operating independent of Israel, all their records deleted etc. If the Muslim world can see Israel is doing something to take out the bad guys then they may not mess with them so much.
After some spectacular and innovative hits-involving exploding beds and telephones- things are complicated when the same neutral group supplying them with names is paid by the names to have the agents name supplied— if you see what I mean. This wasn’t in the math and soon they are losing their advantage of surprise, a butterfly effect that sees their list grow and their numbers fall. As they question the ethics of what they are doing, it becomes clear that the methods they are using to take out the people on the list are the methods going to be poetically used against them. When we couple that with the arrival of the CIA and the KGB into the equation, looking to protect some of the Palestinian guys on the list for their countries interests, things get very dicey indeed for Avi, but driven on by flashbacks of the actual murders of the Israeli athletes.
Direction
I love Spielberg’s work and I don’t think he has ever made a bad movie—this is one of his better ones, again showing he can do serious. Maybe he is looking for a good front row seat in a gentile free heaven by making tributary movies of his fellow Jews suffering throughout history, but whatever he does he’s honest and a skilled craftsmen. The first smart move by him here is to cast a good mix of actors as the assassins, critically getting our sympathy early on, allowing each to stand alone and be individuals in the movie. You could not cast five completely different guys if you tried.
One scene I didn’t understand was the graphic murder of a naked and beautiful Dutch assassin. It seemed to be overtly sexual in an uncomfortable way, a perfect body being laced with bullets that leave very few holes. Its certainly one of the 18 certificate movies more controversial moments. A cynic would say that the producer asked for the final cut to have more tits n ass…
And so...
I’m a big fan of the Jews as they are such an intelligent and industrious race and, although decimated inWW2, today hold very high office around the world, adversity only making them stronger. So is Spielberg’s film an expression of that absolute power or is it a representation of their human side. If the UK lost its Olympic team in Buenos Aeries then we too would want to get even like we did before.
At two hours 44 minutes you would think it drags, but in typical Spielberg style it doesn’t, unlike the new Bond movie. Every second has meaning to his story and the actors make the most of it, Bana (he of the film ‘Chopper’ fame) particularly strong. By making the killers anything but cold and clinical, vulnerable to emotions and mistakes, your empathy grows for their cause and contradictions. You know the guys are being used by greater egos and forces and so end up supporting their actions, whether the Palestinians are bad or not. I think Spielberg is one of the best directors when it comes to character building.
Special features
Obviously a double-disc is being prepared for Honokaa with tons of extras. On this early rental version its just a single slice called ‘The Mission: The team”. It’s the director and his writers and cast talking about their experiences on the movie and only Spielberg tackling the politics of this momentous event.
Advantages: Incredibly harrowing; raw and authentic; superb score; politically relevant; takes no sides Disadvantages: Spielburg expects audience to know what the film means; weak in parts; odd end
...key factor into what makes Munich such an utterly harrowing experience. His most daring film to date, dealing with an extremely sensitive topic, Spielburg shows why he's one of the world's top directors of all time. Palestinian terrorists took eleven Israeli athletes hostage at the 1972 Munich Olympics, an attack that ended in complete disaster for both the terrorists and the hostages. In revenge, the Israeli government secretly dispatched a team ... ...achieved the contemporary realism that Munich adopts so successfully. The moral issue examined hand-in-hand with the political background is heavy, teaching the viewer a lesson more than anything. Munich is less dry and generally more accessible than Schindler's List, and the lesson learnt is one that filmmakers have never tried to teach. The originality and boldness of Munich is what makes it so compelling; having witnessed the horrific trauma of ...
harlequin21 11.03.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Munich (DVD)
Advantages: Eric Bana, Geoffrey Rush. Disadvantages: The subject
...Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, after a hostage situation goes wrong. As far as the event was concerned, I was a tad too young to recall it so expected to learn a bit more about it. In fact the film fast forwards through the actual event in the first 5-10 minutes of the film, with a few other aspects being told briefly in flashbacks later in the film. The film is actually about an Israeli Mossad agent (Eric Bana) and his crew (featuring ... ...sent out to avenge the Munich massacre. To pretty much put the words in the mouth of Israel's then Prime Minister Golda Meir in the film, that this is the case is a bit naughty on the part of Spielberg. I think he should have been clearer about where the facts end, and the speculation begins. I don't doubt that some artistic licence has been used, and in other situations the blurring of the boundaries could make for an interesting film, but in this ...
Essexgirl2006 09.11.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Munich (DVD)
Advantages: A compelling story, and an educational resourse Disadvantages: None
...the Olympic games held in Munich became a topic greatly discussed; and not for the sporting events. One night terrorists known as "Black September" a Palestinian group forced there way into the room of the Israeli Olympic team. Some of the team were executed there and then, while others were held hostage while negotiations were carried out. After a considerable time the terrorists moved the Israeli team to the airport; upon arrival they executed ... ...was born. So to see Munich was a good opportunity to get a bit of adult education.
The movie as a whole although directed by Spielberg with the odd exception it did not look like his work. I describe Spielberg movies like a stick of rock, if you snap it in half his name goes right through it. Munich is the exception; elements that Spielberg uses seldom in movies are a frequent occurrence here. There is a quite a lot of swearing, some quite graphic ...
sghawken 01.07.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Munich (DVD)
Advantages: good acting, good plot Disadvantages: bit too bloody at times
...terrorist group involved in the Munich murders. So the team of five are led by Anver (Eric Bana) a family man who has a wife who is pregnant who he has to leave for a while to successfully complete this mission. Anver is approached by a Mossad officer Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush) to do this mission which means giving up his identity to get this done and he will have to go to Switzerland to meet the other team members.
The other members are South African ... ...is good at forging documents, the explosive pro Robert and Carl who cleans up after the others. Each of the men have been chosen for a reason, really it is because they all have useful skills in the group which will help to complete this mission. The men are soon going all over Europe from Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, Beirut keeping their identity low to get each of the men they are given on a list. They go through well thought out methods to catch these ...
ms19 03.09.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Munich (DVD)
Advantages: A worthy and balanced film Disadvantages: Though well made, it is very heavy going and sometimes feels like it is trying too hard
During the 1972 Munich Olympics, a group of Palestinian terrorists broke into the competitors' village and took eleven Israeli athletes hostage. They demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners and helicopters to fly them out of the city. Attempts to negotiate failed and in the ensuing confusion all eleven hostages ended up dead. Enter Avner Kauffman, a Mossad agent charged with taking revenge on the terrorists' backers. So he goes to Europe with ... ...continues he begins to question the morality of his actions and whether he will ever be able to meet anyone's eye again.
Steven Spielberg has two directorial modes; the first is the family friendly film that tries to release the inner child in everyone (see "ET: The Extra Terrestrial") and the second is the relentlessly downbeat, serious Oscar-baiter (see "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan"). Well, as you may have gathered from the synopsis, ...
afy9mab 25.10.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Munich (DVD)
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Advantages: Re live a glorious European semi-final from the 80's Disadvantages: It makes you sad we aren't this good anymore!
EUROPEAN CUP WINNERS' CUP SEMI-FINAL - 2ND LEG
Wednesday 24th April 1985 Goodison Park, Liverpool, England.
Everton (0) 3 v's Bayern Munich (1) 1
COST = I bought it for around £4.99 + postage from Amazon. Shop around, there are a number of different websites that will offer a good deal on football DVD's. The Everton club shop, accessible via the website www.evertonfc.co.uk will also sell the DVD, but they have released a better one, which also includes the Final.
EVERTON, still one of English football's most decorated Football Clubs, formed in 1878 In Liverpool, have a rich history and tradition in the game. The club have had many ups and downs, as have I watching them, but somehow sit as the 4th most successful English club with 9 league titles + 1 old division 2 title, 5 F.A. Cup successes, 9 Charity Shield successes ...
Advantages: Incredibly powerful drama in places Disadvantages: Takes too long to get anywhere
Munich is a poignant and dramatic, slow-moving Spielberg film that has at its core the effects and fallout from the 1972 Munich Olympic Games massacre. Members of the Israeli Olympic team were taken hostage and eventually killed by a group known as Black September, reported to have ties to a militant group linked to the Fatah organisation.
The film opens with some graphic scenes showing the massacre within the first five or ten minutes, before Spielberg introduces us to the squad of assassins who then plan to hunt down 11 Black September members and kill them as revenge.
It is a very suspenseful and dramatic film, with patience needed throughout. Do not expect a fast paced tense thriller, because that's not what this is about. It's a serious drama, with the suspense the main focal point, and the emotions that the squad must go ...
pmcds 25.09.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Munich (DVD)
Advantages: Great footage Disadvantages: None really
About the Band
Rainbow were a heavy metal band who included Black Sabbath vocalist, Ronnie James Dio and deep purple guitarist Ritchie blackmore. The latter founded the band in 1975 and they went on to release many albums and gain many fans. They have had many lineup changes through the years and between 1984 and 1993 the band were on hiatus.
About the DVD
Live in Munich 1977 was released in 2006. It was recorded on October 20th 1977 and was originally filmed to be broadcast on the "Rockpalast" show on german television. The lineup at the time featured Ronnie James Dio on vocals, Ritchie Blackmoore on guitar, Cozy Powell on drums, Bob Daisley on bass and David Stone on keyboards.
So how is the DVD?
I watched this at a friends house and i loved what i saw. It was a mindblowing DVD and i did really enjoy it. They ...
A thought-provoking surprise from famed director Steven Spielberg, MUNICH explores the after effects of the brutal terrorist attacks on the Israeli athletic team at that German city's 1972 Olympic games.
Introduction From Director Steven Spielberg, Munich The Team The Mission
Aspect Ratio
2.35 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
Dubbing Sound
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround English
Professional reviews
Review
Included in Entertainment Weekly's Top Ten Films Of The Year -- Steven Spielberg's brilliant political thriller is a work of spectacular and unsettling excitement (Entertainment Weekly, )
Spielberg has completed the process begun with simpler SCHINDLER'S LIST to become a truly adult director, with this, his bravest film (Uncut, )
This is a smart and often tense work....It's definitely powerful enough to make you wish he'd head in this direction more often (USA Today, )
DVD Description
A thought-provoking surprise from famed director Steven Spielberg, MUNICH explores the after effects of the brutal terrorist attacks on the Israeli athletic team at that German city's 1972 Olympic Games. Loosely adapted from the book VENGEANCE by Hungarian George Jonas, the script was largely written by the provocative, award-winning playwright Tony Kushner (ANGELS IN AMERICA), who lends an incisive intelligence to the dialogue. The film begins with the violent sequence of the terrorists carrying out their attacks on the Israelis; a bloody and gruesome sequence that is deftly and beautifully handled by Spielberg and his brilliant cinematographer, Januzs Kaminski. Back in Israel, we meet the handsome and charming Avner, deeply in love with his beautiful, pregnant wife. Domestic bliss is short-lived however; immediately following these Black September attacks, Avner (THE HULK's Eric Bana), the son of an Israeli hero, is summoned by his country's famed secret service agency, the Mossad, to carry out violent retaliations against those Palestinian terrorists allegedly behind the Munich massacre. Commanded from afar by prickly government agent Ephraim (the inimitable Geoffrey Rush), Avner and his team of handpicked men pugnacious South African Steve (Daniel Craig), goofy ex-toy maker Robert (French actor Matthieu Kassovitz), morally conflicted Carl (Ciaran Hinds), and terse professional Hans (Hanns Zischler) must deal with some shady, nefarious international figures as they track down their Palestinian prey. Their mission takes them everywhere, from the villas of Rome to a seedy hotel in Cyprus, and with each successful kill, Avner's iron will begins to dissolve, and guilt and doubt begin to take hold of his conscience. Strong performances (particularly by the magnetic Eric Bana), gripping action, moral complexity, and a political urgency make the film not only consistently entertaining, but enormously important. Kushner and Spielberg work together to make it clear that the past informs the present, and the lingering final shot should leave viewers with much to think about.
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