What a very interesting film! I went to see Munich with some friends, not really knowing what to expect. I’d got the odd comment from one or two people, but nothing substantial enough on which to form an opinion.

I must admit, my knowledge of the subject matter extended as far as knowing 11 Israeli athletes were killed in the 1972 Munich Olympic Games by Palestinian terrorists, and that Mossad had undertaken to seek retribution through “Operation Wrath of God”. As such I guess, as an event, the terrorists had succeeded in their goal – to highlight their cause.

The film itself dealt not so much with the rights and wrongs of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, but with the human beings involved. From the humanity of the terrorists, the hierarchy of their network, through to the humanity of the (non)Mossad agents and the chain of command through to the Israeli Prime Minister, we had people who had friends, children, mothers and fathers.

It was interesting to see how these events, carried out by these people, affected these people and those connected with them. How these events were seen from various angles was presented, along with the drive behind these men and women, from a belief in justice, through to a desire to make money and feed ones family. As we followed the Mossad agents, we saw them fighting with the morality instilled in their minds, with the consequences of their actions and the politics of it all.

I walked away none the wiser as to the answer to the conflict, but possibly came away with a little more understanding into the motivation behind these events. My thoughts on the complexity of the matter were crystallised that tiny bit more, with plenty of “what if?”‘s bubbling around my head.

A great film to get the mind thinking, from its opening scenes of seeming innocence, to its closing scene with the inevitability of the events to come sitting centre stage. Whilst I realised the story was based on real events and so contained artistic licence, the story was believable such that it wouldn’t surprise me if it really was a blow-by-blow account. The characters were real and the acting gave a very concrete sense of reality. Whilst not a piece of light entertainment, the film is definitely well worth seeing.