Film Editors:Rebecca Jackson & Alexander Christie-Miller
Tuesday February 14th, 2006
Trinity News
11
FILM
Films To see this week: Walk the Line, Derailed ( will convert you to Team Aniston before you’ve had a chance to protest), Brokeback Mountain ( if can only be a matter of time before lesbian cowgirls go mainstream -Debbie does Dallas doesn’t count)
Munich marks a return to form for Spielberg Tadhg Peavoy asks whether Steven Spielberg’s latest offering, is a timely return to form for the master filmmaker. Spielberg is back in serious mood. The most famous Jewish director in Hollywood has once again turned his artistic intentions toward Jewish world relations. In Munich, Spielberg tells the factual/fictional “inspired by real life events” story of the aftermath of the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes in the 1972 Olympic Village, at the hands of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September. The film opens with a blow-by-blow re-enactment of the bloody massacre that took place in Munich. This is expertly interspersed with archive footage of the events as they unfolded on live TV at the time. The result is a chilling, taut opening to the film, that has the viewer engaged from the word go. From Munich, we switch to Israel where the Israeli Prime Minister, Golda Meir, played by Lynn Cohen, gives Mossad the green light to track down the perpetrators of this atrocity against the people of Israel. At this point, enter stage left hero/anti-hero Eric
Bana (Troy, Hulk, Chopper) the man to lead the operation. He is ably assisted by a small crew, which includes Ciaran Hinds (Caesar) and the new 007, Daniel Craig (Layer Cake). Spielberg was on risky ground in attempting to put this story onto screen. Politically and culturally, it is extremely sensitive.
revenge and retaliation. The hit squad vigorously and idealistically begins its quest for the blood of the Arabs that killed the Jewish athletes. As the film wears on, the assassinations take their toll on Bana and company. The supposed monsters they murder are replaced in turn by more vicious and feared members of the Palestinian terrorist
“Spielberg has portrayed terrorism as exactly what it is – a form of violence that begets violence and leads nobody any nearer to peace then they were beforehand” He could have been portrayed as a Jew attempting to put a heavy slant on the Jewish/Palestinian conflict. He does remarkably well, however, to tell a very balanced story. Indeed it has been criticised by spokespeople on both sides of the divide – a credit to Spielberg’s lack of bias. The film is a remarkable and heart-breaking tale, which raises questions over the nature of
front. In addition, retaliation attacks begin on Israeli targets. Bana, who stands up solidly in the lead role as Avner, becomes more and more disillusioned as his project wears on. He has given everything for the cause of good versus evil; however, he begins to wonder if the lines between the two have been crossed. As the film reel rolls on, the psychological effects take a huge toll
on the character, reminiscent of Johhny Depp’s seismic performance in Donnie Brasco. As one would expect from the master craftsman that Spielberg is, the film is superbly moulded in terms of its political depiction and cinematic artistry. Some critics and politicians have slated this film as pro-terrorist. To put it simply: they are wrong. Spielberg has portrayed terrorism as exactly what it is – a form of violence that begets violence and leads nobody any nearer to peace then they were beforehand. Another triumph of the film is its portrayal of the massacred Israeli athletes. They are the real heroes of the film. They are shown as men primed to do battle against other nations in the arena of sport, but who are cut down in their prime. In the opening sequence of the film, the depiction of their attempts to resist the Black September group can only be regarded as powerhouse cinema. So, is this a return to
form for Spielberg after the candyfloss fluff of The Terminal? Well, yes and no. The film, as ever, is supremely crafted and is well meaning in its attempted moral exposé of the world of terror. However, it never hits the aweinspiring level of beauty and poignancy of Schindler’s List, leaving it down the pecking order of his filmography. The film does have much to recommend it. The acting is superb. Bana’s performance is particularly noteworthy. Kaminski’s cinematography is just as impressive as it was in Schindler’s List and even better than it was in Saving Private Ryan. The film is so Hitchcockian at times – so taut – that one fears that the reel may to snap in the projector at any moment. So in short, a very solid attempt, if not quite a home run for Spielberg. If you like Munich also watch: The French Connection (William Friedkin, 1971). The Day of the Jackal (Fred Zinnemann, 1973).