Munich

Although it opens with the Black September tragedy at the 1972 Olympics, in which a group of Israeli athletes were killed by Palestinian militants, most of filmmaker Steven Spielberg's nearly-three-hour, Oscar-nominated Munich focuses on the aftermath—with Eric Bana starring as the conflicted leader of the “unofficial” Israeli team tasked with tracking down and killing those involved in the planning and execution of the heinous act. Munich is unquestionably ambitious, addressing serious ethical issues that continually crop up as the Israeli squad find themselves operating in morally grey areas (and as the final shot of the World Trade Center makes clear, Spielberg also wants to draw a comparison between the ethical cost of the Israeli antiterrorist venture on its operatives and the potential damage of post-9/11 policies on the American soul). Unfortunately, even the most important characters here never fully come alive, and while the film exhibits the director's customary technical virtuosity in both his recreation of the original massacre and in the more suspenseful episodes in the chase, Munich—for all its craftsmanship—never really cuts to the emotional bone. A strong optional purchase. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, or a two-disc widescreen version, DVD extras on the double-disc “collector's edition” include an introduction by filmmaker Steven Spielberg (also included on the single disc release), as well as six featurettes: the “On Set” experience (15 min.), “Portrait of an Era” (14 min.), “The Mission, The Team” (13 min.), “The International Cast” (13 min.), “Editing, Sound, and Music” (13 min.), and “Memories of the Event” (12 min.). Bottom line: a solid extras package for this uneven Oscar nominee for Best Picture.] (F. Swietek)[Blu-ray Review—May 5, 2015—Universal, 164 min., R, $22.98—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2005's Munich features an excellent transfer and a DTS-HD 5.1 soundtrack. Extras include an intro by director Steven Spielberg, and the production featurettes “The On-Set Experience” (15 min.), “The International Cast” (13 min.), “Editing, Sound and Music” (13 min.), “Portrait of an Era” (13 min.), “The Mission, The Team” (13 min.), and “Memories of the Event” (9 min.). Bottom line: Spielberg's historical drama shines on Blu-ray.]