Steven Spielberg, renowned director of Schindler’s List and the most prominent Jew in the world of film has done it again. Munich is a film of courage for Spielberg. He’s set himself between the Palestinians and the Israelis and covered decades of terrorism in the final product.

The film begins with the reenactment of the terrorism that took place at the 1972 Olympics in Munich. Lynn Cohen, who plays Prime Minister Golda Meir is shown with her cabinet, telling them that there is no chance for peace because of the tragedy. She says, “Forget peace for now.”

Munich is based on a book by author George Jonas, who, in 1956, was a freedom fighter and who now is a conservative political writer who lives in Toronto, Ontario. Spielberg has done and excellent job turning facts written in the book into real emotions and religious beliefs.

Avana, a former bodyguard of Meir is played by Eric Bana. He is the leader of the secret squad that is out to seek revenge on the terrorists. They officially do not exist and have a go-between by the name of Ephraim, who is played by Geoffrey Rush. The fact that they are paid under the table and not known to exist makes the audience wonder why, because Israel is out for revenge and they definitely want that fact known. They make their killings more dramatic by using bombs instead of guns.

Avener’s team consists of himself and four others. They travel under assumed names and carry false passports. One of the team is an expert in forged documents, one if an expert at disarming bombs, one is the trigger man and the other is the person that gets rid of all the evidence after a revenge killing.

The most exciting parts of the film is when there are assassinations taking place. Spielberg has the suspense down pat. It reminds us of Hitchcock’s talent.

The audience holds it breath as Avener and his team wait for a small girl to leave for school before phoning her father. An explosive device has been connected to the telephone. What Avener and his team has failed to notice is that the little girl has returned to the house and she is the one who answers the phone. The team scrambles to prevent the device from exploding. I won’t mention what happens as this will ruin the suspense if you haven’t seen the movie.

Spielberg has timed his movie well, as there is a lot going on between Israel and Palestine at the present time. Everyone seems to be interested in who is right and who is wrong. The director could not have known his movie would be released at the same time that Sharon and Peres were seeking a way to make peace between their factions.

Spielberg has done an excellent job with this movie. It’s a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat throughout. If you enjoy a good political thriller, you won’t want to miss Munich. It’s haunting, effective and has turned the facts that are inarguable into something that is up for debate. Don’t miss it!

Let me know if you enjoyed this movie as much as I did by adding your comments below.