Munich (2005)

Synopsis

Title: Munich (2005)

Genre: Drama

Rating: R

Running Time: 164 Minutes

Director: Stephen Spielberg

Main Actors: Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciaran Hinds, Ayelet Zurer, Geoffrey Rush

Plot: This movie focuses on the Israeli retaliation to the 1972 Munich games tragedy when Palestinian terrorists killed 11 Israeli Olympians.

My Take

If you plan on watching this movie, make sure you don’t have any plans for an entire night because this movie is long. Too long and slow for me. It is not that I can’t watch movies that are long, some of my favorite movies are long, but there is not enough consistency and flow in the story to keep me involved for such a long time. The acting by all accounts was good. The story was good and based at least loosely on historical fact. Spielberg did a good job directing, taking aim at another film surrounding important historical events in recent Jewish history. This was a very good movie, but I felt that it could have been better than great. It had potential to be exceptional.

Should You Watch???

Munich is aptly rated R, mainly due to graphic violence and some sexual content. No children should be exposed to this movie. It runs over 2 ½ hours long, so expect a long sitting. If the above mentioned things do not bother you, I suspect that you will not be disappointed with Munich. The acting and directing is good. The basic story was good, but could have been told in a more captivating and time efficient way. If you can stay actively involved as a watcher throughout the entire movie, you may even feel emotionally moved by the end. Give it a try if you have time, but make sure to watch the documentary, One Day In September, before you do so you have some historical background to the events leading up to this story.

Popcorn Rating

Buttered Popcorn