Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!: Munich (2005) - Spielberg wrings a brilliant spy thriller from fraught real-life massacre and its aftermath

6/14/2019

Munich (2005) - Spielberg wrings a brilliant spy thriller from fraught real-life massacre and its aftermath

♥♥♥♥♥

+ Best Period Movie of the Year + Best Spy Movie of the Year + Best Revenge Movie of the Year

Star Eric Bana seems to meditate the weight of the gun and its possible deeds on this dark poster for Steven Spielberg's Munich

Munich portrays the 1972 Olympics massacre in Munich, Germany, wherein the Palestine Liberation Organization murdered 12 people, 11 of them Israeli athletes, and the aftermath, in which Israel sought justice and revenge for the misdeed.

Munich is written by Tony Kushner (Lincoln (2012)) and Eric Roth (A Star Is Born (2018)), based on the non-fiction book Vengeance (1984) by George Jonas (Final Decree (1981)), and directed by Ohioan master filmmaker Steven Spielberg (Schindler's List (1993)).
To make an objective film of the loaded story of the horrific massacre and the response from Mossad, Israel's intelligence service, is hard if not impossible, but Spielberg succeeds in making a drama thriller, which is masterly in its sympathetic, though-provoking suspense. The intelligent script and staging make the revenge missions highly exciting.
The cast features several very noteworthy actors; worth singling out are Eric Bana (Funny People (2009)), Geoffrey Rush (Frida (2002)) and Lynn Cohen (The Romance of Loneliness (2012)) as Israeli prime minister Golda Meir. John Williams' (The Accidental Tourist (1988)) score is more underplayed than we are accustomed to, subtle and mood-setting.
Munich's ending cements the moral complications it pursues. It is a brilliant film.

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2012 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED V]
Lincoln (2012) - Spielberg's inspiring presidential portrait stands tall
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The Adventures of Tintin/The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn (2011) - Affinities for Tintin, earlier Spielberg and film will decide your experience of this 3D mo-cap adventure
Super 8 (2011) - Abrams' nostalgic family crowdpleaser (producer)

2005 in films and TV-series - according to Film Excess [UPDATED I]
Band of Brothers - TV mini-series (2001) - WWII-sacrifice and -comradeship portrayed with skill and integrity (producer)
A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) - A robot fairy tale with both heart and mind
Amistad (1997) or, Must... Free... Slaves!
Empire of the Sun (1987) - Spielberg's grand production of boy-in-China-during-WWII is a misfire
Twilight Zone The Movie (1983) - Fear takes many forms in tragedy-struck anthology
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982) - Spielberg's greatest accomplishment
1941 (1979) - Spielberg's bizarre 'comedy spectacular' sinks like a rock
Top 10: Best car chases in movies reviewed by Film Excess to date
Duel (1971) - Spielberg's truck terror is ideal afternoon fare

Spielberg gives an interview about the film here

Cost: 70 mil. $
Box office: 130.3 mil. $
= Big flop (returned 1.86 times its cost)
[Munich opened 23 December (North America) and runs 163 minutes. Shooting took place in Paris, France, Malta, Hungary, including Budapest and in New York from June - September 2005. The film opened #8 to a 4.1 mil. $ first weekend in 532 theaters in North America, where it peaked at #6 and in 1,498 theaters (different weeks), grossing 47.4 mil. $ (36.4 % of the total gross), ranking among Spielberg's lowest-grossing features. The 2nd and 3rd biggest markets were the UK with 8.9 mil. $ (6.8 %) and Japan with 8.4 mil. $ (6.4 %). The historical accuracy was criticized for leaving out important aspects of the story and changing the structure of the Mossad group and its members' moral considerations, and the Zionist Organization of America called for a boycott of the film. It was nominated for 5 Oscars, winning none: It lost Best Picture to Crash, Director to Ang Lee for Brokeback Mountain, Adapted Screenplay to Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana for Brokeback Mountain, Editing to Crash and Score to Gustavo Santolalla for Brokeback Mountain. It was also nominated for 2 Golden Globes, won an AFI award, won 1/2 Grammy nominations, a National Board of Review award and several other honors. Roger Ebert gave it a 4/4 star review, translating to a notch higher than this one. Spielberg returned with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008). Bana returned in Lucky You (2007). Munich is certified fresh at 78 % with a 7.45/10 critical average at Rotten Tomatoes.]

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Donald Sutherland has passed away

Born in Canada, Sutherland battled polio as a child. His first credit was in Suspense (1963, TV-series) and his first film was The Castle of the Living Dead (1964). Later credits in his remarkable career include The Saint (1965-66), The Dirty Dozen (1967), M*A*S*H (1970), Kelly's Heroes (1970), Klute (1971), Don't Look Now (1973), 1900 (1976), Casanova (1976), The Eagle Has Landed (1976), Ordinary People (1980), A Dry White Season (1989), JFK (1991), Outbreak (1995), Fallen (1998), Virus (1999), Fierce People (2005), Pride & Prejudice (2005), Lord of War (2005), The Hunger Games (2012), The Undoing (2020, miniseries) and many more. He passed away at age 88. R.I.P.

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William Friedkin has died

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Louise Fletcher has passed away

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Jean-Luc Godard has passed away

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Adopted from an orphenage at a young age, Liotta got hooked on acting in high school. He had various TV credits in the late 1970s and early 80s, with his film debut in The Lonely Lady (1983). Later credits include Something Wild (1986), Field of Dreams (1989), Goodfellas (1990), Cop Land (1997), Hannibal (2001), Blow (2001), Narc (2002), John Q (2002), Identity (2003), Observe and Report (2009), Youth in Revolt (2009), The Details (2011), Killing THem Softly (2012), The Place Beyond the Pines (2012), Shades of Blue (2016-18), The Simpsons (2018, TV-series), Marriage Story (2019), The Many Saints of Newark (2021), Black Bird (2022, TV-series) and many more. Liotta passed away at age 67 in his sleep while on production in the Dominican Republic. R.I.P.

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Film Excess - Free Ukraine - Stop Putin - End the war NOW!!

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6/14/2019

Munich (2005) - Spielberg wrings a brilliant spy thriller from fraught real-life massacre and its aftermath

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