Steven Spielberg does this every now and then, where he releases his big Hollywood blockbuster over the summer, and then at the end of the year, he gives us his more serious film. This past summer, he gave us "War of the Worlds," a good movie with a bad ending. Now at the end of the year, he gives us "Munich," which is a pretty good movie, but not a great movie. One year, he gave us "Jurassic Park" in the summer and "Schindler's List" at the end of the year. Unfortunately, "War of the Worlds" and "Munich" can't match "Jurassic Park" and "Schindler's List." Hell, it can't even match "Minority Report" and "Catch Me If You Can."
I know it seems like I'm ripping into "Munich," but I did like it. I thought it was a good movie, but I thought I'd like it a lot more. Steven Spielberg is probably one of the best directors who ever lived, so I think I'm entitled to raise the bar when it comes to his movies. After all, in addition to "Jurassic Park" and "Schindler's List," this is the man who brought us "Jaws," "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," "E.T.," the "Indiana Jones" films, "Saving Private Ryan," and so many more great films. I expect great movies from a great director.
The screenplay for "Munich" (based on the book "Vengeance" by George Jonas) was written by Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner (he wrote the play "Angels in America," which later became a mini-series on HBO) and Eric Roth (whose credits include "Ali," "The Insider," and "Forrest Gump"). I'm not sure how I feel about it, because there's definitely a message in the film, but I'm not sure what it is. Is it that vengeance is wrong? If so, how else are you supposed to respond to terrorist attacks? Pacifism is stupid to me, because if some guy is punching you in the face, and he keeps punching you, there will be a point where you should probably hit back, ya know? Also, if the movie is preaching anti-violence, that would seem to contradict with the considerable violence on the screen. Then again, maybe I'm totally wrong, and the movie is trying to say something completely different. I will say that the very last shot of the movie is very powerful, but again, I don't know what the message is.
"Munich" stars Eric Bana (he starred in "Hulk," and he was in "Troy" and "Black Hawk Down"), and he's very good in the movie, but I'm not sure why his character decides to take the job that's offered to him. The guy is about to be a dad, and he seems to have a happy life, but he chooses to ignore all that to go on a mission that's shrouded in mystery. Still, Bana plays the role well. Every time I see him, he takes on these intense roles. It's hard to believe that he started off as an Australian funnyman. Also in the film is Daniel Craig (who has just been cast as the new "James Bond"), Mathieu Kassovitz (he was the male love interest in the excellent film, "Amélie"... he's also a director, having directed the Halle Berry film, "Gothika," as well as "The Crimson Rivers"), and the great Geoffrey Rush. All of them do great work here.
Reportedly, Steven Spielberg rushed through "War of the Worlds" and then he rushed through "Munich." Someone of Spielberg's caliber can complete ambitious films in record time, but I'd rather he didn't. I'd rather he take his time. I liked "Munich," it's a very good movie, and it's definitely well made, but I can't help but think that it could have been better. On the plus side, the duo of "War of the Worlds" and "Munich" is a lot better than "The Lost World" and "Amistad."
Scale of 1-10: 7