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'Munich' provides perspective on Olympic assassinations

January 9, 2006
After the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics, Avner (Eric Bana) and Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush), are assigned to track down and kill the 11 Palestinians suspected to have planned the Munich attack in "Munich." —

"Munich" isn't easy to watch and Steven Spielberg doesn't allow you to take it lightly. Spielberg tells the story of the retaliation for the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

He opts for a gritty, dark filming style instead of using glossy, big budget action sequences to show the kind of back-alley murdering done for revenge.

A group of seemingly random men are chosen by the government to track down 11 Palestinians who are said to be connected to the murder of Israelis. Avner, played by Eric Bana, is the hesitant leader of the group. He is a Mossad officer who has never been trained in field work or organized killing. The other additions to the squad are equally inexperienced, but all the men share a deep feeling of duty to their country.

As the movie progresses you see a change in the characters. The men become more violent, arguing amongst themselves and carrying out riskier assassination efforts. Civilians are injured. The physical appearance of the agents goes from well groomed to unruly. There is a visual transformation in the actual persona of these unprepared but capable Israeli men. They are becoming numb to the killing, and even begin to target people who were not on their original list.

Spielberg has masterfully used the shifting characteristics of the agents to show the dangerous and complex nature of the conflict between Israel and Palestine. He manages to show the complexity of both sides through the characters within the story.

At one point, the agents find themselves working out of the same area as some men from Palestine. They pose as Germans, and soon one of the Palestinian men starts talking to Avner about Israel. They get into an argument, with Avner taking the side of the Jewish people. They argue about how their people need a place to call home; both people want the same thing and neither is willing to see from the other's perspective.

Throughout the movie Spielberg shows the struggle of the Israelis to get revenge and secure their homeland. The Israeli officials feel they have to fight fire with fire. Avner often has nightmares during the movie in which he sees what it was like for the 11 Olympic athletes who were murdered. There are also news flashes throughout the movie that show coverage of constant Palestinian attacks on Israeli people. The viewer is also made aware of the violence the Israeli people impose on the Palestinians. Each side becomes increasingly violent and you feel that the conflict is escalating. Spielberg dumps the intense tragedy of the situation in the viewers' laps. The helplessness and loss of hope the civilians on both sides must feel is made tangible throughout the picture.

The characters' problems are not solved by the end of the movie. Avner returns to his life a changed man, and thinks someone is trying to kill him and his family, the thought of which leaves him unable to enjoy the things he once lived for.

Bana expertly portrays all the forms that Avner takes on. Avner went from a carefree expecting father to a distant and paranoid stranger. It seems his mission causes more detriment to his own life than to the lives of Palestinians.

The film leaves the viewer with a heavy feeling. It's complex and dark, but has to be. Spielberg respects the fact that the conflict between Israel and Palestine is real and still going on. He doesn't try to slap on a forced happy ending. Overall the movie is moving and thought provoking, with each part intricately linked, forming a well-planned story of the struggle to find a safe place to call your own.

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