Munich

Steven Spielberg’s Munich arrives in cinemas this week without much of the perennial controversy that usually accompanies his more sombre material. This relative hush is unusual considering the volatility of the subject matter. The film is based on the violent aftermath of the massacre of Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics at the hands of the Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September.

Whatever happens beyond the opening disclaimer of “based on real events”, Spielberg’s version of these events has to be judged as just that, merely a version, his version, of what happened and, as such, he excuses Munich of rigorous scrutiny over matters of historical accuracy and factual veracity.
So, we are presented with a film merely based on fact and not presented as historical document, which comes as partial relief because if there is any truth to be found in the murky world of misinformation, paranoia and conflicting loyalties that the film’s characters inhabit, it would surely take more than two and a half hours to unravel. It makes more sense therefore to concentrate on the face value of the film and its characters.

Avner (Eric Bana) is a Mossad soldier recruited to Israeli intelligence, by the all-seeing Nephraim (Geoffrey Rush), to hunt down and kill the eleven Palestinians responsible for the massacre. What follows could have been a simple revenge sequence of bullets and blood but through a combination of visual artistry and intelligent performances, Munich becomes a more layered and absorbing affair.
Bana impresses in the lead, demonstrating his skill and range in a performance that augments his leading-man credentials recently damaged by lamentable projects such as Hulk and Troy. Avner’s journey requires an actor capable of delivering the intricacies of a man struggling with his belief system and torn between allegiances to country, family and the mission.

Spielberg’s faith in him is justified but it is in the supporting cast that the required dramatic clout can be found and without which Munich would have no plausible world for Avner to feel confused and threatened by in equal proportion.
As in previous Spielberg films, most notably Schindler’s List, this is where the real talent lies. An unrecognisable Rush is well cast as Ephraim through whom the tormenting question of loyalty arises. Ciarán Hinds’ brilliant portrayal of the reluctant Carl guides Avner through his journey toward the decisions he seeks to avoid. Daniel Craig is perfectly cast as South African Steve, who bristles with barely-contained homicidal tendencies throughout, while Mathieu Kassovitz and a weighty cameo from the equally weighty Michael Lonsdale lend gravitas to a film that could have sank into the anonymity of the action genre.

The action sequences themselves are fine but misplaced and the direction is heavy handed in parts, especially when introducing locations like Paris (looming Eiffel Tower) and London (black taxis for all), among others.
However, as a film with a message Munich, misses the mark. Is a film that merely presents difficult choices a moral film? Munich seems to hide in ambiguity rather than penetrate it.

Spielberg, in trying to remain balanced, has his hands tied and a final shot of the New York skyline featuring the Twin Towers bears the fingerprints of sledgehammer desperation trying to make itself relevant to a post-9/11 world. 

Munich 
Directed by Steven Spielberg 
Starring Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Mathieu Kassovitz, Geoffrey Rush, Ciarán Hinds, Hanns Zischler, Mathieu Amalric, Michael Lonsdale.