Review of Munich (2005) by Patrick R — 17 Jun 2009

With all due respect to Michael Kahn (who was nominated for an Oscar for this movie), the "technical" nomination for this movie should have gone to Janusz Kaminski, who pulls off what might be the best cinematography of his career. He almost outdoes his work on Schindler's List and Saving Private Ryan, the latter of which is the catalyst for all the shaky cam and bleach bypass we see nowadays (for better or for worse). He does an amazing job of replicating 70's style cinematography, with all of its zooms and 2.35:1 compositions.

Without a doubt, that's the best part of the movie. But unlike War of the Worlds, Spielberg's other 2005 film whose best asset was its cinematography, this movie has substance to it, and is a very very watchable drama, and an excellent film.

The cast seems to be selected based on who would play the roles best, rather than "names" who'd look better on a poster. Eric Bana, Danny Craig (who showed the world he had the chops for Bond a year before Casino Royale), Ciaran Hinds, and especially Michael Lonsdale (a former Bond villain) and Mathieu Almaric (a future Bond villain). These two Frenchmen steal the entire movie. But Bana carries it well.

A lot has been said about the political ramifications of this film. Some argue it's too pro-Israel, some argue it isn't pro-Israel enough, and others argue that it doesn't go far enough into its politics. I disagree with all of these statements. It's not meant to take sides. It's meant to show you how blood begets blood, and killing leads simply to more killing. Surely, it's not a new message, but since we as a society have yet to learn this lesson, we fucking need it bashed into our heads.

So yeah, this stands among Spielberg's best, and it's a wonderfully put together film whose message will (hopefully) stand the test of time, despite it taking place almost 40 years ago.