Review of Munich (2005) by Nathan C — 04 Aug 2011

What would be a powerhouse flick has all the right elements -- even Spielberg's gloomily serious touch instead of the usual sentimentality -- but pans out to be so-so. It's somewhat frustrating that it's not as great as I was hoping (I didn't have high expectations but wanted to like it) but it could've been worse under somebody else's hands.

Since the film's based off of a historical event as well as a book, you might know what it's about. If not, let me refresh your memory. 1972, Munich: Just before the Olympic games, 11 Israeli atheletes are murdered by 11 Palestinian terrorists. A counter-strike group is dispatched to hunt down the terrorists.

This shows flashes of suspense and depth, as well as raises up some questions. The first 10 minutes are excellent! Great acting and music aid this film, as well as the digital approach that the camerawork takes. This is a very compelling story (meticulously researched btw) with which to work with, and I'm glad Spielberg treated it justice.

Sadly, the rest of the film doesn't live up to the intro, even the flashbacks and assassination attempts. Part of this is due to the lazy writing littered about, e.g. Daniel Craig being "Afrikaan" since he can't be convincing as Israeli. This didn't need to clock in at nearly 3 hours; I bet the film was just padded on so that it could get Oscar nods. In fact, it would've worked better if it were half an hour shorter. Not to mention, it dragged on many occasions. The effect is that it makes us as numb as the characters after their foray into revenge. Oh ho ho ho that slaps me on the knee!

Set-up brilliantly, but presented with mediocrity. "Munich" is the oddly fascinating picture that has its fans (lots of them), but will alienate those looking for thrills and brutal emotion a la "Saving Private Ryan".