Wednesday 9 July 2008

Munich [2005]


When anyone thinks of Spielberg, one tends to remember E.T., Schindler’s List or Jurassic Park. I, on the other hand, equate Munich as his finest achievement. This becomes all the more interesting when you realize that, on the one hand Spielberg is the director of some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters, and on the other Munich is an arthouse, low-budget film devoid of glossy production designs or huge special effects. The film, based on real events, chronicles the clinical execution of the members of a Palestinian terrorist group by an elite state-sponsored Israeli team - hand picked from and orchestrated by Mossad - to avenge for the horrific kidnapping and murder of Israeli athletes during the 1972 Berlin Olympic Games. Unhurried in its pacing, brilliantly narrated and exquisitely photographed (with an uncanny eye to details), the movie has been composed like a musical piece with its crescendos and diminuendos. Albeit its provocative content and depiction of one side of the scenario, this profound, visceral and magnetic film is one to be preserved for posterity – not just for its cinematic appeal, but also for its brilliant chronicling of one of history’s greatest manhunts.









Director: Steven Spielberg
Genre: Drama/Political Thriller/Revenge Movie
Language: English
Country: US

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