Munich (2005): Spielbergs most morally complex film.

Yes I understand this is yet another post about Munich that seems to flair up every time The conflict flares up.

But I feel very little is discussed about how profoundly in depth the film is with its depiction of war and terror. Having watched it recently I was stunned by how morally ambiguous its themes are.

Quick summary, Eric Bana and a team of undercover Israeli Mossad agents embark on globe trotting mission to hunt down the perpetrators of the 1972 Munich Massacre.

Surprisingly the film takes no sides, at first the Israelis are portrayed as the protagonists but they’re not exactly righteous heroes. Each step of their journey is a moral conundrum and as the bodies pile up they begin to question what they’re fighting for and more importantly if it will ever end.

The Palestinians are depicted quite sincerely. They’re not the typical mindless “derka, derka” Arab stereotype in most Hollywood films. They’re actual human beings wether it’s the sophisticated writer, intellectual professor or determined young man. You hear their arguments (multiple times, in fact), they display, fear, anger, sadness. A point that’s driven further by how raw violence in the film is depicted.

When people die it’s brutal, cold and horrific. Blood sprays the walls, corpses emit smoke, bullets are so hot they ignite the bed sheets of the victim and when a man is shot he is in a state of shock dying slowly eyes gazed. This is Spielbergs most violent film.

It soon becomes apparent that the methods of the Israelis are no different from the “terrorists” they’re hunting wether it’s dealing with the same criminal underbosses, killing innocents and breaking international laws.

What started of as typical action adventure film soon becomes a cerebral psychological thriller as Eric Bana realises he’s become a target as he fears for the safety of his family. At the “end” of his mission he’s not rewarded a medal or commendation for his effort rather a simple pat on the back. Furthermore he learns that the terrorists he killed have been immediately replaced, so what was it all for? A life of paranoia and the weight of all the lives he’s taken in a never ending conflict.

Politically Munich is an incredibly balanced film, I’ve always had issues with Spielbergs simplistic, sentimental approach to mature subjects (personally not a fan of Schindlers List or SPR but that’s a story for another day) But Munich offers a surprisingly nuanced and thought provoking take on what is continuously the worlds most contentious conflict.

Submitted December 28, 2023 at 10:18PM by sofarsoblue https://ift.tt/yTwBgJK