Munich (Widescreen Edition)
starring: Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Marie-Josée Croze, Ciarán Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz
directed by: Steven Spielberg
directed by: Steven Spielberg
Price: $5.98
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Product Description:
Mossad agents are recruited to find and kill the Palestinian terrorists responsible for the kidnapping and murder of a group of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972.
No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: MUNICH
Title: MUNICH
Street Release Date: 05/01/2007
Domestic
Genre: ACTION / ADVENTURE
Amazon.com:
At its core, Munich is a straightforward thriller. Based on the book Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team by George Jonas, it's built on a relatively stock movie premise, the revenge plot: innocent people are killed, the bad guys got away with it, and someone has to make them pay. But director Steven Spielberg uses that as a starting point to delve into complex ethical questions about the cyclic nature of revenge and the moral price of violence. The movie starts with a rush. The opening portrays the kidnapping and murder of Israeli athletes by PLO terrorists at the 1972 Olympics with scenes as heart-stopping and terrifying as the best of any horror movie. After the tragic incident is over and several of the terrorists have gone free, the Israeli government of Golda Meir recruits Avner (Eric Bana) to lead a team of paid-off-the-book agents to hunt down those responsible throughout Europe, and eliminate them one-by-one (in reality, there were several teams). It's physically and emotionally messy work, and conflicts between Avner and his team's handler, Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush), over information Avner doesn't want to provide only make things harder. Soon the work starts to take its toll on Avner, and the deeper moral questions of right and wrong come into play, especially as it becomes clear that Avner is being hunted in return, and that his family's safety may be in jeopardy.
By all rights, Munich should be an unqualified success--it has gripping subject matter relevant to current events; it was co-written by one of America's greatest living playwrights (Tony Kushner, Angels in America) and an accomplished screenwriter (Eric Roth); it stars an appealing and likeable actor in Eric Bana; and it was helmed by Steven Spielberg, of all people. While it certainly is a great movie, it falls just short of the immense heights such talent should propel it to. This is due more to some questionable plot devices than anything else (such as the contrived use of a family of French informants to locate the terrorists). But while certain aspects ring hollow, the movie as a whole is a profound accomplishment, despite being only "inspired by true events," and not factually based on them. From the ferocious beginning to the unforgettable closing shot, Munich works on a visceral level while making a poignant plea for peace, and issuing an unmistakable warning about the destructive cycle of terror and revenge. As one of the characters intones, "There is no peace at the end of this."--Daniel Vancini
Mossad agents are recruited to find and kill the Palestinian terrorists responsible for the kidnapping and murder of a group of Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972.
No Track Information Available
Media Type: DVD
Artist: MUNICH
Title: MUNICH
Street Release Date: 05/01/2007
Genre: ACTION / ADVENTURE
Amazon.com:
At its core, Munich is a straightforward thriller. Based on the book Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team by George Jonas, it's built on a relatively stock movie premise, the revenge plot: innocent people are killed, the bad guys got away with it, and someone has to make them pay. But director Steven Spielberg uses that as a starting point to delve into complex ethical questions about the cyclic nature of revenge and the moral price of violence. The movie starts with a rush. The opening portrays the kidnapping and murder of Israeli athletes by PLO terrorists at the 1972 Olympics with scenes as heart-stopping and terrifying as the best of any horror movie. After the tragic incident is over and several of the terrorists have gone free, the Israeli government of Golda Meir recruits Avner (Eric Bana) to lead a team of paid-off-the-book agents to hunt down those responsible throughout Europe, and eliminate them one-by-one (in reality, there were several teams). It's physically and emotionally messy work, and conflicts between Avner and his team's handler, Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush), over information Avner doesn't want to provide only make things harder. Soon the work starts to take its toll on Avner, and the deeper moral questions of right and wrong come into play, especially as it becomes clear that Avner is being hunted in return, and that his family's safety may be in jeopardy.
By all rights, Munich should be an unqualified success--it has gripping subject matter relevant to current events; it was co-written by one of America's greatest living playwrights (Tony Kushner, Angels in America) and an accomplished screenwriter (Eric Roth); it stars an appealing and likeable actor in Eric Bana; and it was helmed by Steven Spielberg, of all people. While it certainly is a great movie, it falls just short of the immense heights such talent should propel it to. This is due more to some questionable plot devices than anything else (such as the contrived use of a family of French informants to locate the terrorists). But while certain aspects ring hollow, the movie as a whole is a profound accomplishment, despite being only "inspired by true events," and not factually based on them. From the ferocious beginning to the unforgettable closing shot, Munich works on a visceral level while making a poignant plea for peace, and issuing an unmistakable warning about the destructive cycle of terror and revenge. As one of the characters intones, "There is no peace at the end of this."--Daniel Vancini
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - Truth is Stranger than Fiction
I missed "Munich" when it was originally released but I recall the reviews at the time.As I understood it, "Munich" was criticized for being too "soft" on the Palistinians.After watching it last night, I understand that criticism somewhat but that isn't my criticism of the film.
I was 20 at the time of the horrible event at the Munich Olympics and I am surprized as to how little I knew about the details.I discovered how limited my knowledge was when I watched the excellent documentary ... Read More
Rating: 
- Munich
This movie was a disappointment to me.
I was at the summer olympics in 1972 the day that the Palestinian terrorists killed the Jewish athletes.Maybe this clouds my judgement.
Rating: - A Story About Vengeance
This film was "inspired by real events" which suggests more fiction than "based on true events". Young men climb over a fence to get to the Olympic village; are they up to no good? Yes, they are the terrorists who captured Israeli athletes as hostages during the 1972 Olympics in Munich. All eleven athletes were murdered. Will the Israeli government act in revenge? The precedent was the Eichmann abduction. The decision is made. A team will be formed to implement the decision. Will they use experienced agents ... Read More
Rating: - Land Dispute
When Tony Kushner sticks to actual events, he's got a fast, thrilling script for Spielberg to work. The trouble is, a fine action movie is saddled with philosophical meanderings. The obviously contrived debate between the Mossad assassin and the PLO guy, the same old hackneyed arguments about what is essentially a land dispute, well, come on, why didn't the PLO guy realize Eric Bana really was a Jew? All the PLO fighters tell you how much they love their Palestine and Allah is their leader. Of course, the barbarity ... Read More
Rating: - Two-disc Edition Bonus features provides rare insight
For my money, it's always worth it to buy a "collector's edition" of any Spielberg movie (especially his "darker" stuff). Although it could have been loaded even a little bit more with additional materials, I still found it insightful and informative to see "the process". Even though I usually stay current on special edition DVD releases, this one sneaked by me. Now I understand it's becoming somewhat rare. Outside of a re-release, I'd jump on this one before the price skyrockets.
- Truth is Stranger than FictionI missed "Munich" when it was originally released but I recall the reviews at the time.As I understood it, "Munich" was criticized for being too "soft" on the Palistinians.After watching it last night, I understand that criticism somewhat but that isn't my criticism of the film.
I was 20 at the time of the horrible event at the Munich Olympics and I am surprized as to how little I knew about the details.I discovered how limited my knowledge was when I watched the excellent documentary ... Read More
- MunichThis movie was a disappointment to me.
I was at the summer olympics in 1972 the day that the Palestinian terrorists killed the Jewish athletes.Maybe this clouds my judgement.
- A Story About VengeanceThis film was "inspired by real events" which suggests more fiction than "based on true events". Young men climb over a fence to get to the Olympic village; are they up to no good? Yes, they are the terrorists who captured Israeli athletes as hostages during the 1972 Olympics in Munich. All eleven athletes were murdered. Will the Israeli government act in revenge? The precedent was the Eichmann abduction. The decision is made. A team will be formed to implement the decision. Will they use experienced agents ... Read More
- Land DisputeWhen Tony Kushner sticks to actual events, he's got a fast, thrilling script for Spielberg to work. The trouble is, a fine action movie is saddled with philosophical meanderings. The obviously contrived debate between the Mossad assassin and the PLO guy, the same old hackneyed arguments about what is essentially a land dispute, well, come on, why didn't the PLO guy realize Eric Bana really was a Jew? All the PLO fighters tell you how much they love their Palestine and Allah is their leader. Of course, the barbarity ... Read More
- Two-disc Edition Bonus features provides rare insightFor my money, it's always worth it to buy a "collector's edition" of any Spielberg movie (especially his "darker" stuff). Although it could have been loaded even a little bit more with additional materials, I still found it insightful and informative to see "the process". Even though I usually stay current on special edition DVD releases, this one sneaked by me. Now I understand it's becoming somewhat rare. Outside of a re-release, I'd jump on this one before the price skyrockets.
