Munich: Rating: 1 star

Israel assembles an elite team to wreak vengeance on the men behind the murders at the Munich Olympics.

Munich (2005)
2005 · R · Drama
Reviewed September 13, 2006

I know, I know—I’m supposed to like this, because it’s a Spielberg film and it’s got historical drama and it involves Jews (hey, kinda like that other little film he did), but… I wasn’t feeling it. The story was plodding, punctuated by scenes of ever-increasing violence, the heavy-handed point of said violence being to make us ask ourselves at what point righteous vengeance turns into pointless carnage — yes, Spielberg, I got the point, you don’t need to hit me over the head with it EVERY SINGLE SECOND. Eric Bana did not wow me, and neither did anyone else. The most compelling parts of the film were the reenactments of the actual hostage situation; unfortunately, the conceit of having Bana’s character “visualize” them in dream sequences and during sex (?!?) cheapened the effect. It could have been a good movie, even with the same plot, but I think Spielberg would have done better if he’d just stuck to the original hostage-taking.