Spielberg’s ‘Munich’ is disturbing, thoughtful

Terrorism was brought into the world’s living rooms for the first time during the 1972 Olympics when members of Black September took 11 members of the Israeli team hostage in Munich. All of the hostages were killed.

Steven Spielberg’s “Munich” is not so much a reenactment of that fateful day but is the story, inspired by real events, of a secret revenge squad assigned to kill those responsible.

“Munich,” an action movie with a conscience, is the first Spielberg movie that doesn’t feel like one, and I mean that as a compliment. He has reigned in excess sentimentality and given us a gripping narrative with excellent performances.

Former Mossad agent Avner (Eric Bana) is given a list of 11 names as his targets. He leaves his pregnant wife behind and meets up in Europe with the rest of his team, all dedicated to their mission.

The team is very small, very low-tech: Robert, a toymaker, is now being asked to make bombs, and it’s anybody’s guess as to how well they will work; Hans is an antiques dealer and forger; Carl (Ciaran Hinds, from “Rome”) is the cleanup man who looks more like an accountant; and Steve (Daniel Craig, the future James Bond) is a brash, sexy trigger man.

Screenwriters Tony Kushner and Eric Roth (“Angels in America” meets “Forrest Gump”) have written a thoughtful essay on the price of “an eye for an eye” from varying points of view.

As the killings mount, so do acts of retaliation. And Avner and his men begin to ask questions: Are these men really responsible for Munich? What about the new terrorists who rise up in their place? And when their mission is over, will they resume their lives as before, or will they always be looking over their shoulder in fear?

“Munich” will haunt you and have you talking with your friends. So much conflict -- where does the killing stop?

As one of the characters says, “There is no peace at the end of this.”

* SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant for a financial services company.

Violence comes to life on screen

Steven Spielberg’s latest film is a profound and disturbing meditation on the endless cycle of violence between Israelis and Palestinians. The brutal reality of revenge and retribution in the Middle East is brought to vivid life in this compelling thriller.

“Munich” begins with the horrific massacre of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Olympics. But it quickly takes us into the depraved morality that permeates both sides of this tragic conflict.

We would expect a sympathetic view of the Israeli position from the master who made “Schindler’s List.” But many viewers will be shocked that Spielberg gives equal time to the valid complaints of long-suffering Palestinians still living in squalid refugee camps after three generations. He brings a laser-beam focus to the real issues and the twisted politics that keep the death toll climbing.

Eric Bana heads a cast of mostly unknown actors who are outstanding in their roles as unexpected assassins. They all look so mundane and ordinary. Their startling operations are successful and deadly but sloppy and unpredictable.

The assassination scenes reveal the terrible intimacy and ugliness of delivering sudden death to people they have never met. Haunting nightmares and warped emotions overtake all of them.

They reveal the moral ambiguity and personal terror that comes with the godforsaken territory occupied by hired killers.

The issues raised in this story are frightening to contemplate, but Spielberg makes it clear they must be addressed. To allow the blood soaked madness to continue is an alternative too terrible to ponder. This is a troubling and remarkable film that is hard to watch at times. But it clearly stands among the best pictures of the year.

* JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office.

20060106h1846tke(LA)20060106h1l6ugke(LA)