Directed by:
Steven SpielbergCinematography:
Janusz KaminskiComposer:
John WilliamsCast:
Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciarán Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler, Ayelet Zurer, Geoffrey Rush, Gila Almagor, Michael Lonsdale, Mathieu Amalric (more)VOD (3)
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A mission to assassinate the planners of a devastating terror attack at the 1972 Olympics leads a Mossad agent into a harrowing ethical no-man's-land. (Netflix)
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Reviews (11)
I was awaiting Steven Spielberg's Munich with considerable tension. Not only because of the fact that the classic of American cinema showed, with his latest film War of the Worlds, that he can brilliantly comprehend, say, trashy themes. I eagerly awaited how the Jew Spielberg was going to deal with such a burning and painful question as Israel's relationship to terrorism. I'm not disappointed. On the contrary. I'm taken aback and emotionally overwhelmed. The scope of Munich is a typical representative of Hollywood in recent years - the massive runtime amounts to weaker spots, polyglots, loss of pace. Nevertheless, a filmmaker of Spielberg's extra class can reasonably balance adrenaline and an idea without one or the other suffering too much. Munich thus alternates adrenaline sequences of individual hired killers with calm meditative sections, in which the heroes reflect on ethics, law and justice. The alternation of the two passages is sometimes captivating (that is, when the idea blends into the action sequence, as is the case, for example, with the action in Athens), whilst sometimes the "ethical" sections seem too sweeping and lose their inner tension. It is extremely commendable that Spielberg avoided, as much as possible, a clear answer to the burning question of "who is to blame?" His only answer is the hero Evram in an absolutely captivating performance (I dare say) by actor Eric Bana. In it, all the ambiguity of justice and the question of morality are connected in the captivating dilemma of a man who, in an effort to protect his home, loses it, together with his identity and his Judaism. The illusion of just retribution turns into a futile hunt for some higher right of revenge, into a growing list of the dead on both sides, and into a mental black hole in which everything one leans on disappears. If you are waiting for a reconstruction of the Munich events, you will be disappointed. The script artfully decomposes the tragedy into a passing story – from the initial acquaintance through period reports to the captivating and devastating finale, which we see as if through Evram's eyes. Munich contains several strong moments that aroused in me unexpected eruptions of emotions (Evram, who hears his daughter's voice for the first time, a love scene intertwined with the massacre of hostages). The film also contains several moments, that seem to be excessive, when the narrative concentration becomes a bit distracting. However, as a whole, the film is extremely consistent, even in terms of ideas, which do their best not to categorize and to avoid stereotypes. Munich is a very impressive and powerful film. In one real event, it reflects all the perversion and absurdity of one of the worst crises of humanity today. The most valuable part of the film, however, is the personal story of Evram, in which everything important is immediately reflected. I also have to point out the excellent soundtrack by John Williams, the excellent camera of Janusz Kamiński and the surprisingly good Daniel Craig. Once again, I need to emphasize Steven Spielberg, who perfectly blends craftsmanship with the confidence of a filmmaker who knows what he wants to say.
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Munich definitely isn’t controversial (if you’re not a fanatical supporter of either side), it doesn’t say anything new, nor does it dive into the depths of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. It just scratches the surface and the characters talk about home. But that doesn’t mean that it is a bad movie. Quite the contrary, and because Spielberg chose (for him) an unusual method of expression (it actually seems that the movie is “controlled" Kaminski’s camera), it’s pretty fascinating. The authors also expect at least some basic knowledge about the topic from the viewer, therefore they don’t explain a lot of the names or acronyms, which is good, since the movie doesn’t treat you like a toddler.
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This matador of a director wins on all fronts. Whether he's making Eric Bana cry on the phone or serving up a team that shoots at anything that comes their way. Some rough scenes I wouldn't have expected from him, even though I already know from other wars what he's capable of. Steven Spielberg simply doesn't hold back from diving into historical issues, this time ones that also affect the present. And he has successfully completed his mission brilliantly as never before.
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Steven Spielberg, as a Jew, decided not to film the events that led to the killing of Israeli athletes, but rather the events that followed. Essentially, it is a Jewish revenge on people who had something to do with the terrorist action. And maybe even on people who could have been terrorists. It's a bit strange how the abduction of athletes is portrayed here because at first it seems very vivid, very interesting, but Spielberg cuts it off and presents only mechanical television news that can be viewed in archives or on the internet. Nothing revolutionary, he immediately moves on to what followed. I was a bit disappointed that he dedicated so little space to the assassination because he could have filmed it brilliantly, at least the opening scene hinted at it. But Spielberg chose the path of recording revenge, which is not a bad approach, an effort to express the motivations of the other side, their methods of work, etc. Overall, it was successful, but I still feel like the film is not as raw as it could be, but rather completely stylized, trying to play on emotions, which is due to the event itself, not Spielberg's skill. He tries to push it to the limit, giving the lives of Jews and their suffering. It's not bad, the film is well directed, but the main surprise of the whole film is the fact that Eric Bana can also act. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/10/prach-uspesna-pokracovani-animaku.html
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I’m giving this a very questionable four stars. Unfortunately, Spielberg has grown up and the emotional flatness and academic coldness that could be excused in his War of the Worlds cannot be forgiven in Munich. War of the Worlds worked perfectly as a pure horror movie that delivered amazement and chills through its technical aspects. Munich is an attempt to inventively examine serious issues for which supreme technical precision is not enough. Therefore, only one thing in this long film really works, namely the naturalistically cold-blooded murders, especially that of the female assassin on the boat. Some may argue that Munich didn’t appeal to me because the Muslim-Jewish conflict is beyond me, but I’m not Jewish and Schindler’s List is one of my top ten favorite films. Because it has a huge heart.
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