Munich
I just got home from seeing this chilling movie that portrayed the tragic incident at the 1972 olympics in Munich, and the events that resulted because of it. If you don't know what happened in 1972, basically 11 israeli atheletes were held hostage in their hotel room by Palestinian terrorists. They were eventually all killed. This film shows this in great detail throughout the movie, first as it is happening in real time and later through the nightmares and visions from the main character.
**Possible spoilers (I'll try not to though)**
The bulk of this movie was dedicated to a man who does not exist. He is the leader of a group of people who don't exist. This is what the Israeli government wants him to believe and the rest of the world too. The government has names and pictures of the terrorists and it is his job to hunt them down and kill them. One by one. This role is played excellently by Eric Bana who shows strength, yet has a good emotional side as well (his wife calls him a "sentimentalist"). The rest of his crew is quite a mixed bunch. We have Daniel Craig, who I loved in Layer Cake, but whose role here should have been bigger. His blonde hair and blue eyes makes him look like a cowboy more than a jew.
This team is to have no contact with the Israeli governement. They have virtually unlimited funds left in a bank for them and basically must use their intuition and think like a terrorist to find those responsible. This is no easy task. You can't trust anyone, and you can't give them too much information. Throughout the movie this really sets in as there are a few incidences of betrayal leaving the team pretty paranoid.
The direction was very good for the most part with a few parts that dragged on too long. This film felt real. The use of handheld cameras like that found in Saving Private Ryan made some scenes gritty and raw feeling. There is a lot of graphic scenes in this movie which really took me by surprise. Spielgberg doesn't hide much. While watching the movie you almost want to take sides with Israel but there are counter-balancing scenes (like the one with a PLO police who just wants a home) that even it out a bit. Overall the sum is much better than its parts and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Acting was great all around, and the actors were cast well (esp. Mathieu Amalric). The dialogue throughout is very reminiscent of what is still going on today. The score by John Williams, though subtle, was pretty haunting at times. In addodyion, I liked a lot of the photography in the movie. There were also some really great reflection shots used, taking advantage of rear view mirrors, tinted windows, etc...
Although I think they could've cut about 20 minutes from the movie, by the end I was not bored, nor exhausted from the 2hrs and 44m I sat there. The movie made me tense at the end, and its last image was one I expected, yet I'm unsure right now if it should've been put there or not. Definitely one of the better films I've seen this year and it may even get some Oscar Noms. Go see it.
****
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Finally I also saw some new trailers at the movie:
-Apocalypto: Mel Gibson film dealing with Mayans and some end of the world scenario. It looks pretty epic, but also very strange
-MI:3: Looks cool I guess, action packed trailer of course. Noticed Laurence Fishburne in there which is awesome.
-American Dreamz: From the director of About a Boy and In Good Company. This is one funny looking movie. Basically there's a preseident thats pretty much portraying Bush, and then theres an American Idol type show with a middle eastern contestant. I won't say anymore, but it looks like it'll be controversial.
Firewall: Harrison Ford brings it as usual but it feels the same as other movies.
-Inside Man: Directed by Spike Lee and starring Clive Owen, Denzel Washington and Jodie Foster. Oh Man this looks pretty great. There's definitely going to be some twists in this one and I won't say much about it. posted by psychobabbler @ 9:23 PM
