Munich Details

Tit for Tat in a war that may see no end

The Jewish / Palestinian conflict has been raging since 1947 and the episode in Munich with the massacre of the Israeli Olympic team back in '72 is just one chapter from this sorry affair. The film Munich is both powerful and depressing because it addresses the contradictory solution of using violence to end violence. An unofficial Israeli hit squad is led by Avner (Eric Bana) and they have to assassinate one by one the Palestinian perpetrators of the Munich massacre. However as their targets each meet a grisly death the assassinations begin to question their own sanity and moral justification that what they are doing makes any sense. The film is not biased in any way as Speilberg does allow the Palestinians a voice to put across their case. Similarly he also focuses on the Jews who have to live with the consequences that so long as they harbour the Palestinians as sub human they have to live with the consequences. Hatred begets hatred. Munich ends on the note that neither side has the high moral ground.

The film does not quite work as a thriller because the assassination set ups become boring by the third target and you know what will come next. It is also about thirty minutes too long but it is difficult to see how any of it could have been trimmed as their is so much too cram in. The acting is very good by all especially Eric Bana who is growing in stature with every film. There are some nice shots by Speilberg and the sound is excellent. Some scenes are very tense and exciting such as the stand off with the PLO in a Greek hotel whilst others can almost send you asleep. The Seventies is wonderfully recreated even if some of the sets (especially London) look a little obvious. Munich is probably Speilberg's bravest movie since Schindler's List and for that he must be commended. Don't let anyone else make up your mind as to whether it is pro or anti Jewish. Go see it and make your own mind up because it is definitely worth watching.

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Steven Spielberg - Biased?

Reading the other reviews here I can't believe I'm the only person who feels this film is significantly one sided.

I know this is rightly a motive subject but any one choosing to watch this film will hold opinions about what has happened in Israel/Palestine in the past 100 years. The idea that Steven Spielberg of all people is unbiased to me seems like a joke. Just look at the other movies his made?!

I don't blame the guy we are all biased by our heritage, our peers and the media etc but lets' not make out he's some judicious force injecting us with impartiality. I like many Spielberg movies and was happy to watch this one with a view to seeing a given point of view but please please don't watch this and think you now have an even handed interpretation of such a complex situation!

I felt that some of the arguments were anything from weak to childish. I can't remember the minister’s name (sorry) but when she gives her little speech about weighing the decision and taking it baring full responsibility for the consequences I was in dumbfounded! This seen was around the level you might set for a discussion between primary children or George bush.

To say the movie showed the Palestinian side of the story is not untrue however it did so almost as a token gesture. We were at no point encouraged to empathise with the Palestinian cause, talk between fellow Israeli’s about these issues does not cut it for me as truly showing an even hand, nor did the easily outwitted Palestinian debating in the stairwell. Again I do not mind a partial film, what I do mind is trying to make out it is impartial when it clearly is not.

If this film was truly impartial the harrowing thread of the Munich atrocity laced through the movie would have been complemented by another thread showing some other event committed against Palestinians to explain their anger. I don’t know, You could throw some characterisation into the mix if you wanted to go wild?

Think along the lines of Das Boot in terms of empathising with the enemy and I think you might be getting somewhere. I doubt many people living in the UK would claim to have a problem with the result of WW2 but nor do I doubt that many of us sat there listening to the hull creaking cheering and shouting crush the B**tards! That’s empathy for your fellow man irrespective of race or nationality.

I don’t know any good films about Palestinians but I do know a good book called “Palestine” of all things! It’s by a comic illustrator / journalist called Joe Sacco. As you can imagine the book is a comic and pretty easy reading if you don’t pay attention to the content, not so easy going if you do. This is a book that is partial, no bones Joe isn’t on the fence so be prepared, but maybe this film and that book will form just a small part of a more balanced picture?

Anyway I’ve had my rant all that’s left to say is that I did enjoy the film I didn’t nod off but I wasn’t expecting anything gratuitous either. I don’t think a thriller about this subject would be very nice to be honest! If you want to see one snap shot of one partial viewpoint watch the film. Just remember it’s not true.