Rent September 5 on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Moritz Binder and Tim Fehlbaum, Alex David (co-writer)
Directed by: Tim Fehlbaum
Starring: Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch
Rated: R
Watch the trailer
Plot
During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, an American sports broadcasting team must adapt to live coverage of the Israeli athletes being held hostage by a terrorist group.
Verdict
This is intense, but I wish it found a way to better position itself in history and the lasting impact this event had. The event is the focus, and the characters feel like accessories. This is a movie about responsibility. Does a television network have a responsibility to the truth, the viewer, the rules, or the sponsors? This news station wrestles with those considerations during an unparalleled event. It's these questions that make this movie powerful, and these are questions that are just as important today as news channels claim to be entertainment when convenient and parody news becomes less biased than actual news stations.
Watch It.
Review
The 1972 Olympics were already tense, taking place in Germany not long after World War II. There are tensions between visiting countries and even the ABC staff and local translators. Some staff want to highlight the Jewish athletes victories over German competitors to add emotion to the games.
Early in the morning the staff hear something they determine to be gunshots. This goes from thinking something is happening to trying to figure out what's happening. The local translator is instrumental in decoding broadcasts, revealing there's a hostage situation. The tension and confusion is great as we're just as lost as the staff. Control room head Geoff (John Magaro) soon sees an opportunity to cover this event. While it's beneficial for them, it's also important news. A group has taken Israeli athletes hostage.
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| John Magaro plays Geoff |
The producers question their responsibility. Must they show the truth? Can they show someone killed on live television if events devolve? How will that affect their sponsors? What about the families watching? Should the channel censor content to protect viewers or are they bound to report events as they happen? The station clamors for more information while also trying to maintain coverage as local police try to contain the situation. The audience is in the same position, wondering what exactly is happening. When the police prepare to infiltrate, the station realizes the terrorists might be watching the broadcast and the station is inadvertently undermining the police.
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| Peter Sarsgaard plays Roone |
From the way this looks to how it's filmed, it's never less than authentic. The use of archival footage from the time period only adds to the effect. In so many scenes we're peering in from the outside, trying to get a glimpse of what's happening. That parallels exactly what the station is doing.
When the station gets a tip that the hostages are free, Geoff wants to lead the story and push the report despite not getting confirmation. Marvin (Ben Chaplin) warns that every other station will follow their lead. They can't get it wrong. Differing reports cause confusion as to what actually happened and whether the hostages made it.
If ever a movie needed a text epilogue, this is it and we get it. These Olympic games were the most watched event in history. It was the first live broadcast terrorist attack.
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