A tense, morally unsettled revenge thriller that treats violence as corrosive rather than cathartic. Spielberg stages the manhunt with exceptional control, but the film’s real force is its refusal to offer clean political or emotional closure.
69% ★★★☆☆ (388,961)
Munich
Where to watch: Buy
Movie · Drama · Action · R
2005 · 2h 44m · ★ 69% (389K)
The world was watching in 1972 as 11 Israeli athletes were murdered at the Munich Olympics. This is the story of what happened next.
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciarán Hinds
Overview
During the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, eleven Israeli athletes are taken hostage and murdered by a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September. In retaliation, the Israeli government recruits a group of Mossad agents to track down and execute those responsible for the attack.
Director
Steven Spielberg
Production
Universal Pictures, DreamWorks Pictures, Alliance Atlantis, Amblin Entertainment, The Kennedy/Marshall Company, Barry Mendel Productions
Cast
Eric Bana, Daniel Craig, Ciarán Hinds, Mathieu Kassovitz, Hanns Zischler, Ayelet Zurer, Geoffrey Rush, Gila Almagor, Michael Lonsdale, Mathieu Amalric, Moritz Bleibtreu, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Meret Becker, Marie-Josée Croze, Yvan Attal, Ami Weinberg, Lynn Cohen, Amos Lavi, Moshe Ivgy, Raffi Tavor
Curator Review
Verdict
A tense, morally unsettled revenge thriller that treats violence as corrosive rather than cathartic. Spielberg stages the manhunt with exceptional control, but the film’s real force is its refusal to offer clean political or emotional closure.
Best for
Viewers who like serious historical thrillers
Fans of morally ambiguous espionage stories
People interested in political violence and its aftermath
Viewers who appreciate top-tier craft and set-piece direction
Skip if
You want a straightforward action movie
You prefer clear moral answers
You are looking for a balanced, comprehensive political history
You dislike bleak, emotionally draining films
Overview
Munich is one of Spielberg’s most rigorous and uneasy films, a revenge story that steadily drains the fantasy of vengeance. It is built like a thriller, but its real subject is the spiritual and moral damage that follows each act of retaliation. The film keeps asking whether violence can ever restore anything, and its answer is increasingly grim.
Worth noting
What makes it stand out is the precision of the filmmaking. Spielberg turns surveillance, pursuit, and assassination into nerve-tight set pieces, yet never lets the mechanics become exhilarating in a simple way. The movie is constantly looking at faces, pauses, and aftermaths, as if the true action is happening in the conscience.
Bottom line
It is also a politically charged film that invites disagreement. Some viewers will find it too trapped inside its protagonists’ perspective, while others will see that partiality as part of the point: a portrait of people trying to justify the unjustifiable. Either way, it is a serious, unsettling work that lingers long after the final frame.
Top Letterboxd reviews
Logan Kenny (2★) · 1910 likes
on the one hand, a very angry and disillusioned portrayal of losing your faith in government and nation following acts of state sanctioned violence. on the other, an exploration of "they made us do this" instead of a true depiction of the reasons why Black September happened, what the Palestinian people experience to this day under the Israeli regime and a work that's still too enamoured with Israel's "right to exist" to dismantle it in the way it should be.
James (Schaffrillas) (3.5★) · 1441 likes
Good movie but could not take the, uh, climax seriously
nickusen · 1108 likes
the most depressing of the ocean’s eleven films
demi adejuyigbe (4.5★) · 1029 likes
"You could have a kitchen like this someday. It costs dearly. Home always does." Not sure why, but this has always registered as a forgettable Spielberg movie in my mind. Maybe because it's not held up as a legend for any of its stars, or blockbuster potential, or awards recognition, or any sort of extra-textual element that would have pinned it to any sort of cultural phenomenon. Finally watching it, I understand even less why this isn't heralded as one… more
Sean Fennessey (4.5★) · 737 likes
"I'm not comfortable with confusion." First revisit in 20 years. Possibly Spielberg's most formally commanding film. His most dialectical by far. Perverse, too. Framing it around a new father ruthlessly killing men and women for nearly three hours is an extraordinary choice. Answers no questions, and positions vengeance as an incurable disease. Blown away. "Leave it."