Movie Review: Munich
Last night as per my families Christmas Eve movie night tradition I went out to see the new Steven Speilberg's new film Munich. The film focused on the events that transpired during the 1972 Munich Olympics when Palestinian Terrorists known as Black September kidnapped and eventually murdered the eleven members of the Israeli Olympic team.
This film was extremely disappointing as it was more reminiscent of an Oliver Stone conspiracy theory film then it was of a film by the man who made Schindlers List. Some of the wild theories shown in the film included one which had the CIA funding and protecting Salimay, the leader of Black September and Osama Bin Ladin of his day. Another wild theory had the Mossad painted as the bad guys going after the families of their own agents.
The main flaw of the film was that it seemed to paint retaliation in the same light as the terrorism itself. A constant theme in the movie was to show that each time a black September leader was assassinated a new act of terror would occur. It was clear that the director was trying to point to his conclusion that the acts were morally equivalent. The movie also took great care to portray the Terror Leaders as these nice folks with families and cute children as opposed to the evil leaders of organizations whose sole goal is the murder of innocents. The movie never once shows any of the terror leader actively planning or engaging in terrorist activities. It leaves open that possibility that they were innocents who did nothing wrong.
At one point the film portrays an actual event where the German Government frees some terrorists from their jails due to the demands of some terrorists who had hijacked a plane. Once again the director missed the opportunity to drive home the fact that the greatest inspiration for terror is appeasement. The Germans showed the terrorists that their tactics will work. That kind of display motivates the terrorists to continue terrorizing.
Steven Speilberg's "Munich" was a complete disaster. It's message is a weak and dangerous one. I left the theatre feeling angry and disappointed. I do not recommend this film.
18 Comments:
yeah, a very pathetic attempt at a kumbaya fantasy if you ask me.
Well us Brits have to choke on movies like "Braveheart", I guess its your turn. Remember its only a movie, not historical documentary. An odd move by Spielberg though.
I never thought of Braveheart in that way. I have to admit I loved that movie though. Especially the scene where the King tosses his sons "advisor" out of the window. A for Munich, it plays out like an historical docu-drama. I understand that he based his take on the events on a book which has been widely criticized as inaccurate. The information regarding the hunt for Black September is not publicly available.
Kevin, happy chanukah to you. I will not go see Munich as per your review. Speilberg is a ham sandwich if you ask me.
Max L
Usually, I love Spielberg's movies. This one was not only inaccurate, it wasn't as well made as his other movies. It didn't have the Spielberg ambiance that his others have. Just not a very good movie in any way.
I hate to say it, but I liked the movie. In my opinion as a former shooter for the Mich Dept of Corrections, was that it put an emotional human face on the brave men that because of their Jewishness and patriotism toward Israel had a very difficult job to accomplish. Anything that comes out of Hollyweird is questionable as it is, but I think that Speilberg made a good movie, not a great one, but a good movie. His screen writer on the other hand is questionable for he is a self hating Jew who is against the Jewish State of Israel. Take it for what it was....A Movie! As Practicing Jews, My wife and I saw it and recomend it.
This movie was deeuuryy!
I hated it.
-Murak Khatzanstolivkazzad
Zev, Is sounds like you went in to the movie prepared for the worst. I agree that putting a human face on the assasains was a realistic and reasonable thing. My problem was with the films portrayal of the terror leaders. The film even put to question their overall guilt. They were not painted in the proper light. The film humanized the terorists too much. It also seemed to morally equate the terrorist murderers with those charged with bringing the terrorists tto justice.
But now the most important note, a practicing jew working as a shooter for the Michigan Dept. of Corrections???? Now thats interesting!
kevin, where are you at. you haven't posted a thing in weeks.
Work got crazy here since the new year. I havent had any spare time so far. I'm working on a post regarding Israeli politics coming soon. Thanks for caring!
Zev said : "His screen writer on the other hand is questionable for he is a self hating Jew who is against the Jewish State of Israel."
Self hating Jew? What kind of nonsense is that? Its accusations like that which make Jews looks like idiots to non-jews. He has a different view-point to you, so undermine his viewpoint with reason not infantile playground jibes.
Wolfie,
The self hating Jew is not some infantile jibe. That phenomenon has been going on for years. Heres the thing. Jewishness is a religion not a race. If a Catholic is an Atheist he is no longer considered a Catholic. When a JEw is an Atheist he is still considered a Jew. Even if he hates being Jewish and despises religion he is still considered a Jew.
Thats why you hear about many of these so called "Jews" (or JINO's as I call them) throwing around their BS opinions under the Jewish banner. Noam Chompsky does not speak for the Jews. Nor do the secularist liberals in the ACLU.
I don't know anything about the writer of the Munich screenplay but I do know that the Movie was based on a book that has been widely discredited for its historical accuracy.
hey no what? maybe they were innocent.
Not that I have seen the movies and I am sure that is is very flawed. but it seems the viewers of this sight do not believe in cycles of violence and I am of the opinion that is all the palistinian isreal conflict is. At some point after so many years of fighting I cannot say who is right or wrong anymore. When there are families on either side of either a tank or a suicide bomber both side will feel justified in their actions. This is the source of a cycle of violence. I personaly think that isrealies think they are right and since they have a lot more money and a bigger army should just kill off all the palistinians with its own brand of the final solution. This woud solve the palistinian people problems and the isrealy irratent. No offenece but thtis attitude that anyone who criticises isreal hates jews is completly outlandish. States are usualy corrupt and it is ugly nationalism that hurts the general populations. I'm all about jewish pride there is only 13million. I am a american mut, Irish/english/dutch/charakee, how many of my race walk the earth. I guess you could call me an american but I do not feel an affinity with america because I think we are destablizing the world. I would like to think of myself as a child of the earth. There is no sovern nation. And at the point where a country is unwilling to take criticism's calling any isrealy who talks badly of their government as self haters and anyone from the ouside as hating jews. I don't hate americans I hate our government. Why wouldn't the same apply to the government of isreal. We live in a nuclear age. american Impire building is not going to save the world from terrorists and will only lead to world war two like perportions.
What a terrable speller who doesn't even finish his thoughts. when a country is unwilling to take criticism's calling any isrealy who talks badly of their government as self haters and anyone from the ouside as hating jews, but ignores its own actions is risking fascist like proportions. This your either with us or against us mentality reminds me of hitler. And it is sad to me that thhe Jewish people who were treated so badly cannot avoid the plight of becoming their own governments enamy for asking for accountability. It is well documented that sometimes when someones goes through sexual abuse that they sometimes become the abuser in adulthood. Maybe I am totaly wrong but I studied world war two for a whole entire year at my school. Democracy depends on free thought and good democratice leaders are able to take criticisms without attacking back. At the point where a government is attacking decent by the people that elected the gov then the gov is becoming dictative. maybe the isreal state doesn't believe in freedom of speach.
I saw this movie twice. First time I was dissapointed, second time I had read Simon Reeve's book and I think this movie does justice to what ultimately was a failed attempt to kill terrorists and only enticed them to retaliate. I live in Israel. Don't mess with Texas. Go Redskins. I love America. Whatup Gangsta
I also saw the movie and thought it was good. There is no question that the actions of Black Sept. were horrendous. What I thought was good about the movie is make us question the act of retaliation...each murder showed the declining humanity of the retaliators. The fact is the men who planned and implemented black september were HUMAN--showing their humanity does not make them any less guilty or any less wrong. To me, it just makes the entire situation more understandable. For some Muslims retaliation for past acts comes in the form of murdering innocent people (clearly wrong), but I'm not sure if God distinguishes the line between these murders and murdering act of someone who is charged by a government to retaliate--I think the movie showed me that some of these men "lost their soul". There is a difference between being a hitman as these men were and retaliating against a person who killed a member of your own family.
I guess Isreal and the Jews are always the victims even when the are actively creating a holocaust that is equivalent to the one they are reaping sympathy for. It's very simple, label the Arabs as terriorists, then anniulate them. Exactly what Hitler did, label the Jews, and then exterminate them.
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