Munich

I’m giving this a very questionable four stars. Unfortunately, Spielberg has grown up and the emotional flatness and academic coldness that could be excused in his War of the Worlds cannot be forgiven in Munich. War of the Worlds worked perfectly as a pure horror movie that delivered amazement and chills through its technical aspects. Munich is an attempt to inventively examine serious issues for which supreme technical precision is not enough. Therefore, only one thing in this long film really works, namely the naturalistically cold-blooded murders, especially that of the female assassin on the boat. Some may argue that Munich didn’t appeal to me because the Muslim-Jewish conflict is beyond me, but I’m not Jewish and Schindler’s List is one of my top ten favorite films. Because it has a huge heart. (03/14/2006)

Steven Spielberg, as a Jew, decided not to film the events that led to the killing of Israeli athletes, but rather the events that followed. Essentially, it is a Jewish revenge on people who had something to do with the terrorist action. And maybe even on people who could have been terrorists. It's a bit strange how the abduction of athletes is portrayed here because at first it seems very vivid, very interesting, but Spielberg cuts it off and presents only mechanical television news that can be viewed in archives or on the internet. Nothing revolutionary, he immediately moves on to what followed. I was a bit disappointed that he dedicated so little space to the assassination because he could have filmed it brilliantly, at least the opening scene hinted at it. But Spielberg chose the path of recording revenge, which is not a bad approach, an effort to express the motivations of the other side, their methods of work, etc. Overall, it was successful, but I still feel like the film is not as raw as it could be, but rather completely stylized, trying to play on emotions, which is due to the event itself, not Spielberg's skill. He tries to push it to the limit, giving the lives of Jews and their suffering. It's not bad, the film is well directed, but the main surprise of the whole film is the fact that Eric Bana can also act. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/10/prach-uspesna-pokracovani-animaku.html (03/01/2013)

Brilliant craftsmanship without a drop of emotion. The combination of such a serious subject with this director promised an emotionally charged spectacle, and yet I witnessed a disproportionately drawn-out revenge spectacle. And while it was supposed to be cold-blooded, not a single scene managed to appeal to me. Spielberg wanted to make a "political espionage" thriller that would cut through the drama with interpersonal relationships, from which the lesson was supposed to be that "violence only breeds more violence." The film contains both, but neither component works as it should. Spielberg did not restrain himself and through the excessive runtime, he tries to create a moral agitprop not only for the Jews but for all people. And yet the skeleton of the story falls apart and the viewer only gets the impression of wholeness in the purges of the Palestinian terrorists, which are just pure craft, nothing more. That actually brings me back to the beginning of my commentary. (03/24/2006)

The director matador wins on all fronts. Whether he makes Eric Bana cry on the phone or serves a commando that shoots at anything that comes their way. Some rough scenes I wouldn't expect from him, and I already know from other wars what he is capable of. Steven simply doesn't hesitate to delve into historical issues, this time ones that also affect the present. And he successfully completed his mission as brilliantly as never before. (07/08/2006)

In the case of Munich, a comparison with the recently made film The Baader Meinhof Complex is possible and even desirable. While the German film is a precise analysis of a terrorist organization and manages to fit its inception, era of greatest success, and defeat into one feature-length film in a very complex way, prioritizing the analytical perspective over the entertaining aspect, Spielberg used a well-known terrorist act as a starting point for a drama that aims to entertain the audience and take certain ethical stances. It is definitely not a credible film in terms of historical accuracy, mainly because there are no verifiable documents - secret services and terrorist organizations usually do not reveal the details of their operations to the public. The Mossad agent, who served as the inspiration for the main protagonist, also noted that the character of the actor portraying him differed significantly from his thoughts and actions, so the film is certainly not a credible account of the events. Spielberg's approach is certainly pleasing to audiences, but from my point of view, the actions of the Israeli commando are burdened by unprofessionalism and in many details, they are not trustworthy. The screenwriter drew too much inspiration from spy pop culture thrillers like Ronin; for example, it is difficult for me to imagine that the top-secret Mossad, considered along with the East German Stasi as the absolute pinnacle of secret services in the second half of the 20th century, would depend on collaboration with an unknown private organization with uncertain goals and unpredictable behavior. From an acting perspective, this is a high-quality project. The screenplay and direction are traditionally at a high level, as is customary for Spielberg. The unexpected encounter of members of the commando with a group of OOP fighters, with a series of polished dialogues and the scene of their rivalry over a radio receiver, is undoubtedly pleasing to the audience and dramatically refined. Likewise, the portrayal of individual terrorist attacks, executions, and conflicts will satisfy both traditional genre fans and viewers who are looking for more than a one-dimensional action spectacle. Overall impression: 85%. (08/08/2009)