While I was aware of the kidnapping and assassination of 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympic games, I never read or knew much about Israel’s reaction to the incident. This movie begins with the tragedy in Munich, then tells the story of a group of five men who systematically kill nine of the 11 Black September members responsible for the athletes’ deaths. Even though parts were violent and slightly disturbing, I still enjoyed learning how Israel patiently undertook a mission to avenge teh deaths of their athletes. As a director, Spielberg does a fair job of not slanting the movie in the direction of either the Palestinians or the Israelis; he presents the story and leaves the moral issues up to the viewer.
Rating: ***+