Spielberg's 'Munich' tense and thought-provoking
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Steven Spielberg's "Munich" artfully underscores one of the tragedies of terrorism - that the need for a response can challenge good people to do bad things.
This tense and thought-provoking filmdetails Israel's deadly response to the murder of 11 members of its Olympic team at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Two were killed and nine were kidnapped and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group called Black September, as the whole world watched.
Israel - with Prime Minister Golda Meir's full endorsement - then dispatched assassination squads to kill anyone known to have helped plan or support the Black September.
In the film, the determined Meir (Lynn Cohen) argues "Every civilization finds it necessary to negotiate compromises with its own values." Spielberg and writer Tony Kushner project that painful compromise on the often-anguished face of Avner Kauffman - the fictionalized Israeli assassin superbly played by Eric Bana.
Kauffman is a former Meir security guard of little consequence who is elevated to a leadership role after the Munich events. He's recruited to head a squad of five men who'll work together to kill as many men as possible from a list they're given.
The men are told to use explosives, whenever possible, to give the murders the highest possible profile. The assassins are given ex-officio status, which means no real passports, no real identity, and no official status.
While "Munich" may suggest a James Bond or "Mission: Impossible" flick, the filmmakers delve much deeper, portraying a shades-of-gray world, with no characters of firm black-or-white definition.
