Munich

I watched this movie last Friday afternoon.In a near empty theatre.There were only four other people.Hardly a date movie.Its based on the actual events surrounding the Munich Olympic Games massacre and the Israeli response.A thought provoking movie which from my standpoint as a neutral outsider presented both sides even-handedly.The final scenes set in New York against the then standing Twin Towers were powerful if less than subtle.

Not a film I really enjoyed given the subject matter.The violence for a PG12 rated movie was graphic.I flinched several times.Not only when the athletes were killed but also as their terrorist captors were shot.I also have to comment on the sound production.
In the desolate cinema the explosions and gunshots seemed to reverberate and ring, making the experience all the more realistic.
I was troubled not only by the violence but also by the final love scenes between the main character and his wife.Flashbacks of the final fatal minutes of the hostage drama are intercut with the main character also reaching his own climax.It seemed a strange juxtaposition.Ridiculous and tired...sex,guns and violence.That being said Im glad I made the effort to see Spielbergs skills on a big screen where I could better appreciate them.

While some scenes were stereotypical...its London.. cue the brollies and bowlers or Paris.. lets buy garlic near the Eiffel Tower other set pieces are genuinely thrilling such as an arbortive bomb attempt.
In the end the words of a character in Crime and Punishment sprung to mind.."to condone the shedding of blood on grounds of conscience is in my opinion more terrible than if it were permitted officially by law"...