MUNICH

Starring:
Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciarán Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler, Geoffrey Rush, Michael Lonsdale and Mathieu Amalric

Director:
Steven Spielberg

Running Time:
160 mins

Out to buy on DVD 09/05/06 (Region 1 North America) 12/06/06 (Region 2 UK)

"This is not just about vengence"

1972, as the 20th Olympiad takes place in Munich Germany, Palestinian extremists enter the Olympic village and take the Israeli team hostage. Calling themselves Black September, the group demand two hundred Arab prisoners be released from Israel and there safe passage to the airport to fly from Germany but when everything goes wrong the hostages are killed. As the world comes to terms with the shocking events, Israel plans their retaliation.

Steven Spielberg returns to historical drama but can 'Munich' bring him all of the praise and awards that were bestowed upon him before?

For some reason people easily forget that Steven Spielberg is not just a big Hollywood blockbuster moviemaker but with films like 'Empire of the Sun', 'The Colour Purple', 'Amistad', 'Saving Private Ryan' and 'Schindler's List' he showed that he is one of the most complete directors in the history of Hollywood. 'Munich' shows a darker side to his talents, as this tale of retribution is uncompromising in its depiction of the events that transpired after the death of the eleven athletes.

The film tells the story of a hit squad assigned with the task of hunting down and assassinating the people responsible for the Munich massacre. Headed by Avner, the team consisted of him and four specialists, a driver, a bomb maker, a forger and a cleaner, who formed a formidable team to take out their assigned targets. With a remit and budget to travel all over European, the team planned and schemed, coming up with inventive solutions to take out the Palestinian operatives.

For a major Hollywood movie this is not your usual Tinsel town version of history. There are no heroes here, with the film not taking any sides or offering a solution to the long running Middle East conflict. It basically tells the story how it was and the problems and repercussions that occurred from Israel's retaliation. The assassinations are brutal but it is the human ramifications that grip the team that are the driving force of the picture. As the team improves with every hit, what they are doing becomes not just a moral dilemma for them but one for the world, leading to them all been wanted men.

Spielberg has gathered together an exceptional cast to bring this story together. Eric Bana continues to prove that he is one of the finest actors of his generation with another fine performance. As former Mossad bodyguard Avner, he is the leader of the team and the man who has to make the connections and gather the information on the targets. Bana brings some humanity to the role, as not only the character's own demons but those of his family as well are exposed. His support is also first rate. Daniel Craig proves again that he is a fine dramatic actor, as the very patriotic Steve, the driver of the team. Mathieu Kassovitz is toymaker turned bomb designer, who has all the pressure pilled on him as his role becomes more pivotal within the team. Stealing the film is the performance of the always captivating Ciarán Hinds. As Carl, he is the old campaigner and mentor to Avner but it is his reasoning and uncompromising approach to the job that makes his character so memorable.

'Munich' proves again that Steven Spielberg is the best director working in the world today. While the film is slightly overlong, it is the power of the story and the performances that keep you riveted for the entire duration of the movie. Never preaching or offering a solution to the problems in the Middle East, this is a movie that has a lot to say and gives you so much to think about.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1 with Dolby Digital 5.1, the movie is presented well, highlighting the excellent cinematography.

BONUS FEATURES

Disc 1

Introduction by Steven Spielberg (4.41 mins)
The now legendary director introduces his movie and reveals how he wanted to produce a creditable account of the retaliation of Israel after the events in Munich. He also talks about how it was based on the book 'Vengeance' by George Jonas and how the story reflects the world today.

Disc 2 (Collector's Edition)

Munich: The Mission, the Team (13.18 mins)
Director Steven Spielberg, producers Kathleen Kennedy and Barry Mendel, screenwriter Tony Kushner, production designer Rick Carter and stars Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciarán Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler, Ayelet Zurer, Geoffrey Rush and Lynn Cohen come together to talk about the development of the story and characters of the Israeli assassination squad. The featurette highlights the fact that they wanted to show the political situation from both sides and look at the characters of Avner, Carl, Steve, Robert and Hans.

Munich: Memories of the Event (8.43 mins)
Director Steven Spielberg, producer Kathleen Kennedy, screenwriter Tony Kushner and stars Hanns Zischler, Geoffrey Rush, Joseph Sokolsky and David Ali Hamadde remember the actual day in 1972 when those lives were taken and how it affected them and where they watched the events unfold.

Munich: Portrait of an era (13.25 mins)
Director Steven Spielberg, producer Kathleen Kennedy, production designer Rick Carter, director of photography Janusz Kaminski, costume designer Joanna Johnston and stars Eric Bana, Daniel Craig and Ciarán Hinds talk about recreating the 1970s setting for the movie. They reveal that the film was shot in Malta, Budapest, Paris and New York with Malta and Budapest filling in for many of the countries where the film was set. The featurette also covers the way in which the film was shot, highlighting the colour schemes for each of the cities in which the film was set.

Munich: The 'On Set' Experience (14.31 mins)
Director Steven Spielberg, producers Kathleen Kennedy and Colin Wilson, screenwriter Tony Kushner, director of photography Janusz Kaminski, production designer Rick Carter and stars Eric Bana, Sam Feuer, Guri Weinberg and Merik Tadros talk about the interesting but painful shoot of the film. With the strong emphasis on realism, the group talk about recreating the assassination and the events in Munich that started the whole thing.

Munich: The International Cast (12.49 mins)
Director Steven Spielberg, producers Kathleen Kennedy and Barry Mendel, costume designer Joanna Johnston, casting director Jina Jay and stars Eric Bana, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hiam Addass, Omar Metwally, Ayelet Zurer, Michael Lonsdale and Mathieu Amatric talk about the other character in the movie including Golda Meir, Ephraim, Ali, Daphna, Papa and Louis.

Munich: Editing, Sound and Music (12.36 mins)
Director Steven Spielberg, producers Kathleen Kennedy and Colin Wilson, editor Michael Khan, sound designer/supervising sound editor Ben Burtt and composer John Williams take you behind the scenes of the postproduction process. The featurette reveals how the film was edited while shooting and how the sound effects for the explosions and gunfire used in the assassinations. John Williams also talks about providing the score for the movie and how it was affected by the story of the film.

OVERALL

With over eighty minutes worth of featurettes included in the 'Collection's Addition', Steven Spielberg again provides a fascinating insight into the way he and his production team approach a movie. As always though there is no commentary track from the legendary director but this is still a good package and one that compliments a fantastic film.

DVD

Schindler's List


The Usher Home | Hush, Hush... | The Big Story | The Usher Speaks

Stuck @ Home | Coming Soon | Links | Contact the Usher

2006