DVD Review: Munich

By Jeff Swindoll May 8, 2006, 13:23 GMT

In the tragic aftermath of the 1972 Munich Olympics, a Mossad agent (Bana) tracks Palestinian terrorists who assassinated Israeli athletes. ...more

Munich strives not to tell specifically the story of the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre, but the story about what happened after it. The film was nominated for 5 Academy Awards, best picture, best screenplay, best score, best editing, and best directing. 

Munich is based on George Jonas’ 1984 book Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team (a TV miniseries called the Sword of Gideon was also based on this book).  In 1972, the Black September terrorist groups took eleven Israeli athletes hostage, and by the time it was over all the athletes were dead.  Prime Minister Golda Meir (Lynn Cohen) orders that a team be assembled to find and kill the architects behind the massacre. 

Ex-Mossad (think Israeli CIA) officer Avner (Eric Bana) is chosen to head the team and reports to Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush).  The members of his team are muscle Steve (Daniel Craig), cleaner Carl (Ciaran Hinds), document forger Hans (Hanns Zischler), and bomb maker Robert (Mathieu Kassovitz).  The team contacts information broker Louis (Mathieu Amalric, a dead ringer for Roman Polanski) and his Papa (Michael Lonsdale), the head of the organization to gain the whereabouts of the targets on their list. 

The team is tasked with killing only the targets on their list, and making sure that no civilians are hurt in the process.  The first killing is accomplished, the second has a slight hitch, and the third injures a couple in the same hotel.  By the third killing, the team is starting to get unwanted attention.  What happens when the hunters become the hunted and the team’s leader starts to unravel?

Robert and Avner acquire the first target

Inspired by real events, Steven Spielberg set out not the tell the story of the 1972 Olympic Massacre, but the stories behind the men charged with killing those responsible for planning it and he has produced a very good movie.  The director mentions in his introduction that Jonas’ book has been attacked for its authenticity, but never been discredited. There are three undisputable facts: first the athletes were massacred at Munich, second Golda Meir made the decision to go after the people responsible, and thirdly that those thought to have planned the attack started dying.
 
I thought the cast gave excellent performances.  Bana, Rush, Craig, Hinds, Zischler, and Kassovitz are all solid in their roles.  Bana deserves special credit for going from self assured team leader to a shell of his former self throughout the course of the film.  Not to forget the ladies, both Ayelet Zurer (as Avner’s wife) and Marie-Josee Croze (a barfly with a secret) are wonderful as well.  However, the two that I found most appealing have short screen time.  Both Michael Lonsdale (as Papa, head of the information broking group) and Lynn Cohen (as Golda Meir) give fine performances. 

Munich is presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1) and is enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  There’s also a fullscreen version as well as a two disc collector’s edition. 

Special features include a 4 minute introduction by Steven Spielberg - this is on the widescreen and fullscreen single disc editions and disc one of the two disc set.  The second disc of the collector’s edition contains 6 documentaries produced by Laurent Bouzereau. 

The first is 8 minutes and entitled “Memories of the event.”  It has interviews with director Steven Spielberg, screenwriter Tony Kushner, producer Kathleen Kennedy, actors Hanns Zischler, Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Sokolsky, and David Ali Hamade.  Spielberg, Zischler, Rush, Sokolsky, and Kennedy offer personal memories of where they were when the actual events in 1972 unfolded.  Spielberg and certain members of the cast and crew appear in many of the documentaries, so I will try and mention only new participants in the following descriptions.

The team in happier times

The second is 13 minutes and entitled “Portrait of an Era” and tells how they accomplished the look of the 1970s.  It features interviews with actor Eric Bana, costume designer Joanna Johnson, actor Ciaran Hinds, actor Daniel Craig, and director of photography Janusz Kaminski.  The third is 14 minutes and entitled “The On-Set Experience” and is a behind the scenes affair.  It has interviews with producer Colin Wilson and actor Sam Feuer.  The most moving moment comes in this documentary when actor Guri Weinberg, who is playing his father who was slain in the massacre, and Merik Tadros, who plays the terrorist in the cowboy hat, tell of their friendship. 

The fourth is 12 minutes and entitled “The International cast” and covers the foreign members (read non-Hollywood) of the cast.  It has interviews with director Spielberg, casting director Jina Jay, actress Lynn Cohen, costume designer Johnston, actors Rush and Bana, actress/consultant/dialogue coach Hiam Abbass (jack of all trades she was), actor Kassovitz, actor Omar Metwally, actor Michael Lonsdale, and actor Mathieu Amalric. 

The fifth is 12 minutes and entitled “Editing, Sound and Music.”  It features interviews with editor Michael Kahn, sound designer Ben Burtt, and composer John Williams.  The sixth is 13 minutes and entitled “The Mission, The Team.”  It features interviews with producer Barry Mendel, production designer Rick Carter, actor Daniel Craig, and actress Ayelet Zurer.

However, I want to take a moment to grouse about the current practice of putting the premium price on a separate two disc collector’s set.  A couple of years ago the two disc version would’ve been the only release until some marketing yahoo decided they could make more money under this model.

Geoffrey Rush as Ephraim

I thought that Munich was a well made film with some excellent performances.  Spielberg has made a fine film and well worth the rental.  However, you’ll have to make the decision which version you want to buy. 

Munich is now available at Amazon. It is available for pre-order at AmazonUK for a June 26th release date. Visit the DVD's database for more information.