Munich
For those who may not know, Munich is a film that takes place in the aftermath of the massacre of 11 Israeli athletes, at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany. The film follows a man who is given a mission by the Israeli Government, to hunt down and kill 11 men who are connected to the Munich attack. Each assassination brings new problems and moral conundrums for the characters in the film. Each target becomes more dangerous, and the paranoia of living as a shadow figure grows and grows. Before too long, the characters come to realize that no one can be trusted, and everyone could be a target. The underworld twists and turns with characters getting caught up amongst each other, all in each others way, all not afraid to kill the other.
Munich was an impressive film to me. One of the things I really liked about it, is the strength of the content. Over the years, Spielberg has taken on strong content in his other films, like Schindler’s List, and Amistad. But this is not simply strong content, it is mature content. This film does not just use graphic imagery to make its point; instead it forces the viewer into asking questions. Its a very thought provoking film, and I personally, feel that when a filmmaker makes a movie that involves moral ambiguity, it is vitally important to leave the audience with questions, instead of point of view.
The film is anchored by very strong performances by the actors. Eric Bana’s work in this film is his best yet. He continues to grow and improve as an actor. Geoffrey Rush as usual, does great work.
Thematically, it’s one of the strongest films Spielberg has made in years. The idea of killing for ideology, bartering life, and the way governments use people, and manipulate people based on ideology, is strongly portrayed in this film. In the end, the Munich attack is shown as the striking of the match that started a huge fire, that is still burning today. The overwhelming thing that I got from the movie is that ideology is one of the most powerful weapons there is in the world. It causes people to compromise their values and do things that never thought they were capable of, and causes governments to take advantage of their peoples loyalties. Everyone is a puppet, to another who holds the strings.
Visually, Spielberg’s style has changed very little; his obsession with bright exterior lighting is still present. But what is unique about the way the film is shot. There are several shots that really establish continuity with the story. Lots of movement within the frame, lots of action, all signs of real pro at work. One shot that I loved is the shot toward the end of the film when Eric Bana and Geoffrey Rush are walking along a river in what I assume is Brooklyn, with Manhattan in the background. As they walk, you can see the Manhattan skyline and in the faint distance is the World Trade Center, not glorified in the center of the frame, but as a very subtle part of the backdrop. The shot serves as a great bridge between 1972 and 2001, because all along as you are watching the film, you can‘t help but to draw comparisons to then and now, and this is definitely Spielberg‘s intention. Also the way he works the murder of the athletes into the lead characters psychosis is very well done.
Over the past few years Spielberg has really reached out when it comes to content. He went from cute aliens and killer sharks, to precognitive crime prevention, and the nature of love. He has also evolved as an artist with a movie like The Terminal, which has some of his heaviest use of symbolism to date. All of the qualities come together in Munich. The film marks another step in Spielberg’s evolution as a filmmaker. It is new territory for him, delving into more thought provoking content, but in the end, he pulls off a very good film.
Munich was an impressive film to me. One of the things I really liked about it, is the strength of the content. Over the years, Spielberg has taken on strong content in his other films, like Schindler’s List, and Amistad. But this is not simply strong content, it is mature content. This film does not just use graphic imagery to make its point; instead it forces the viewer into asking questions. Its a very thought provoking film, and I personally, feel that when a filmmaker makes a movie that involves moral ambiguity, it is vitally important to leave the audience with questions, instead of point of view.
The film is anchored by very strong performances by the actors. Eric Bana’s work in this film is his best yet. He continues to grow and improve as an actor. Geoffrey Rush as usual, does great work.
Thematically, it’s one of the strongest films Spielberg has made in years. The idea of killing for ideology, bartering life, and the way governments use people, and manipulate people based on ideology, is strongly portrayed in this film. In the end, the Munich attack is shown as the striking of the match that started a huge fire, that is still burning today. The overwhelming thing that I got from the movie is that ideology is one of the most powerful weapons there is in the world. It causes people to compromise their values and do things that never thought they were capable of, and causes governments to take advantage of their peoples loyalties. Everyone is a puppet, to another who holds the strings.
Visually, Spielberg’s style has changed very little; his obsession with bright exterior lighting is still present. But what is unique about the way the film is shot. There are several shots that really establish continuity with the story. Lots of movement within the frame, lots of action, all signs of real pro at work. One shot that I loved is the shot toward the end of the film when Eric Bana and Geoffrey Rush are walking along a river in what I assume is Brooklyn, with Manhattan in the background. As they walk, you can see the Manhattan skyline and in the faint distance is the World Trade Center, not glorified in the center of the frame, but as a very subtle part of the backdrop. The shot serves as a great bridge between 1972 and 2001, because all along as you are watching the film, you can‘t help but to draw comparisons to then and now, and this is definitely Spielberg‘s intention. Also the way he works the murder of the athletes into the lead characters psychosis is very well done.
Over the past few years Spielberg has really reached out when it comes to content. He went from cute aliens and killer sharks, to precognitive crime prevention, and the nature of love. He has also evolved as an artist with a movie like The Terminal, which has some of his heaviest use of symbolism to date. All of the qualities come together in Munich. The film marks another step in Spielberg’s evolution as a filmmaker. It is new territory for him, delving into more thought provoking content, but in the end, he pulls off a very good film.
posted by Nick at 3:29 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home