Rating: 
Summary: Lest we not remember
Review: This film did an excellent job of retelling a significant event that has been downplayed or simply forgotten in the hopes that "progress", coexistence and my personal favorite, "peace" can be attained in the Middle East. This film brought back my first memories as a child watching the Olympics and not understanding why this wonderful event that brings the world together had been brought to a fatal halt in the name of world politics. Unfortunately, as we experienced with the United States boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics and the Soviet/Communist Block boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the Munich Massacre would not be the last time that we would see the Olympic games utilized as a political soapbox. Macdonald did an excellent job of bringing in footage and interviews that we were not privvy to in the pre-cable days of the 1970's. The family interviews showed tragic and destructive memories that continue to pain the victims nearly 30 years later. The sadly unprepared and unqualified German security was unconscionable. Opposition against the Israel had been occuring ever since it was restored in 1948. War was declared against Israel in 1948 by neighboring Arab nations, the Sinai Campain/Suez Canal blockage of the 1950's, and the Six Day War in 1967 just to name a few events that marked the need for increased security for the Israeli team. Not to mention that just the gesture of increased security by the German government would have been a huge public relations boost to rid themselves of their recent reputation ... But they chose not to do so. I had the priviledge of working security at the 1984 Olympics and it was basically a very low key job (there was a large security force plus local police and paramilitary) except when the Israeli team arrived with a surrounding motorcade and chase helicopters from above. Things got very tense and serious. I began to realize the magnitude of the events that occured in Munich. One glaring ommission of the film in its portrayal of the Black September Palestinians is the fact that there is not one mention of Arafat or the PLO throughout the film. It has been well established that Black September and the PLO were one in the same. These acts were not merely done by a fringe group. Arafat has admitted this with his disclaimer that the PLO has since grown more "moderate". The film does not mention this, for fear of perhaps being labeled Pro-Israeli. However, this was a fact that should not have been overlooked. The film portrays the events as an Israeli/Palestinian issue but as we see with the "heroes funeral" the slain terrorists receive in Libya and their earlier request at the airport to be taken to any Arab nation with the hostages, the conflict is, and always has been, an Arab/Israeli conflict and not merely an Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I judge any film by how much I think about it afterward. This film invoked much thought and I've never been prompted to write a review like this with any film I've seen before. It was a good film about a turbulent time that should not be forgotten.
Rating:
Summary: Lest we not remember
Review: This film did an excellent job of retelling a significant event that has been downplayed or simply forgotten in the hopes that "progress", coexistence and my personal favorite, "peace" can be attained in the Middle East. This film brought back my first memories as a child watching the Olympics and not understanding why this wonderful event that brings the world together had been brought to a fatal halt in the name of world politics. Unfortunately, as we experienced with the United States boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olympics and the Soviet/Communist Block boycott of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the Munich Massacre would not be the last time that we would see the Olympic games utilized as a political soapbox. Macdonald did an excellent job of bringing in footage and interviews that we were not privvy to in the pre-cable days of the 1970's. The family interviews showed tragic and destructive memories that continue to pain the victims nearly 30 years later. The sadly unprepared and unqualified German security was unconscionable. Opposition against the Israel had been occuring ever since it was restored in 1948. War was declared against Israel in 1948 by neighboring Arab nations, the Sinai Campain/Suez Canal blockage of the 1950's, and the Six Day War in 1967 just to name a few events that marked the need for increased security for the Israeli team. Not to mention that just the gesture of increased security by the German government would have been a huge public relations boost to rid themselves of their recent reputation ... But they chose not to do so. I had the priviledge of working security at the 1984 Olympics and it was basically a very low key job (there was a large security force plus local police and paramilitary) except when the Israeli team arrived with a surrounding motorcade and chase helicopters from above. Things got very tense and serious. I began to realize the magnitude of the events that occured in Munich. One glaring ommission of the film in its portrayal of the Black September Palestinians is the fact that there is not one mention of Arafat or the PLO throughout the film. It has been well established that Black September and the PLO were one in the same. These acts were not merely done by a fringe group. Arafat has admitted this with his disclaimer that the PLO has since grown more "moderate". The film does not mention this, for fear of perhaps being labeled Pro-Israeli. However, this was a fact that should not have been overlooked. The film portrays the events as an Israeli/Palestinian issue but as we see with the "heroes funeral" the slain terrorists receive in Libya and their earlier request at the airport to be taken to any Arab nation with the hostages, the conflict is, and always has been, an Arab/Israeli conflict and not merely an Israeli/Palestinian conflict. I judge any film by how much I think about it afterward. This film invoked much thought and I've never been prompted to write a review like this with any film I've seen before. It was a good film about a turbulent time that should not be forgotten.
Rating: 
Summary: POWERFUL FILM
Review: This film has stayed with me for many years. I thought about it on 9-11, and every time I see anyone from the PLO. It have given depth to this issue for me personel.
Rating:
Summary: POWERFUL FILM
Review: This film has stayed with me for many years. I thought about it on 9-11, and every time I see anyone from the PLO. It have given depth to this issue for me personel.
Rating:
Summary: '72 Olympic Massacre
Review: This film is great; in that it takes the viewer straight through the horrors of the 1972 Munich Olympics and the kidnapping, negotiations and, ultimately, the murders of 11 Jewish athletes by the terrorist group, "Black September". This group, under the orders of Yasser Arafat, the guerrilla leader turned Nobel Peace Prize winner who forced his people's plight into the world spotlight, who died Thursday at age 75 - still reviled by many as a terrorist, has been all but exterminated by Israel military forces. The film is a shoker. "TWO THUMBS UP!"
Rating:
Summary: Moving
Review: This film recaptures the feelings of shock, frustration, & horror I felt while watching these tragic events unfold almost 30 years ago. 1972 began an era of terrorism & fear for the world. No one can watch this without feeling sorrow & complete helplessness . The film does not focus on the politics of leading up to the attack. The athletes murdered that day were not politicians or soldiers. They were the victims of a terrorist act that no social or political situation can justify. As with any historical documentary they can not give every detail & you need to read further to obtain all of the facts. This flim shows a time in history when the world seemed mad & honors the memory of the innocent.
Rating:
Summary: One Day in September
Review: This incredibly well-crafted documentary tells the story of the takeover of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics by Arab terrorists. The film is principally based on contemporary video, as this was the first major terrorist incident to be largely captured on film. Featuring many of the participants who survived the ordeal(including the one surviving terrorist), this haunting documentary will leave you shaken. The willingness of fundamentalist Islamic terrorists to murder innocent people (and the Olympics are innocent) should have been recognized decades ago, but unfortunately it was not. Watching this film after the events of September 11th makes the film all the more tragic as we do not seem to have yet learned quite how to deal with the plague of Islamic terrorism.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Info, Hollywood-ish Production
Review: This video covers the 1972 Olympic Israeli athlete murders very well, if the production does have a bit of a cheese factor to get past.Coverage is excellent and complete, though at times it seemed to drag on in some places for too long. These places could have been cut in exchange for coverage maybe on the Israeli assassination campaign carried out afterwards on the terrorists and masterminds. The production left a bit to be desired, and the inclusion of 70's rock (Zeppelin to Olympic footage?) in some scenes seemed a bit garish. Soundtrack-wise I think they could've used something more appropriate like maybe Jewish folk music or Middle-Eastern.
Rating:
Summary: Will Leave You Shaken...
Review: Two recent events made me watch this...the recent anniversary (Sept. 5, 1972) and much much more, the terror in America (Sept. 11, 2001). While the events are not related terrorism is terrorism. I didn't know a ton about this horrific event, but after viewing the film, I was shaken. The film makers make an engrossing film. Peter Jennings is featured (shades of 9/11/01). It is like, as another reviewer wrote, like a true thriller. I was astounded by the cruelty of the IOC (well, they are criminals in recent years, but bribes and ignoring death are different crimes). The completely pathetic response of the Germans (Willy Brandt has blood on his hands here)--who, according to one particularly chilling interviewee abandoned the airplane("it was a suicide mission") and may have lead to the Israelis doom. The interview with the lone Palestinian survivor is illuminating and frightening. As mistakes by Germans, Arabs, etc piled up, I wanted to freeze the film and somehow change history. In the end, blame belongs most of all to terrorists. But more than blame, the 11 Israelis were heroes and deserve to be remembered in history. Oh and the next time some idiot complains about the recent suspensions of football or baseball, tell them to rent to this. They won't complain again. A worthy purchase and one that is tragically, even more relevant today than ever.
Rating:
Summary: An overstylized treatment of a riveting subject
Review: Watching this documentary, it is tempting to forgive its shortcomings simply because the subject matter is so compelling. Making a film about an event like the Munich Massacre is the directorial equivalent of shooting fish in a barrel. Just tell the story and your audience will be riveted.
Sadly, after watching this film you cannot help but feel that it could ' no, it should ' have been much better. A pulse-less narration by Michael Douglas punctuates otherwise fascinating interviews with the parties involved. Seemingly endless montages of Olympians competing to the discordant strains of Led Zeppelin smack of filler. Worst of all, at the moment when the final tragedy of Munich is revealed in all its carnage, the viewer is subjected to what amounts to a music video of death. To be fair, there is little that a narrator could add to the grisly scenes at the airport - but an opportunity existed to provide additional information to the viewer, and instead the director has chosen to drive home the horror with a pile driver.
The strengths of this movie are numerous: the interviews and archival footage are first rate. We see the German police disguised as athletes; we are shown wordless commentary on the media's response to a crisis, as well as the unfeeling actions of the International Olympic Committee. Perhaps the greatest strength of this film is its structure. The viewer is taken through a gradual progression of events, sharing in the uncertainty of the authorities and the shock of the world. We experience the news footage in sequence, culminating with Jim McKay's chilling announcement "Our worst fears have been realized tonight."
What I find most striking about this film's portrayal of Munich is the way they make the events build on each other until they almost overwhelm you. Just when your jaw drops open from what you've seen - they show you something or tell you something that makes it that much worse. You will find yourself saying, "That simply cannot be." The idea that something could go that wrong is almost impossible to believe, and you can only share in the incredulity and outrage of the Israeli representatives as they denounce the German police operation.
I certainly recommend viewing this film, it is both a moving and informative account of these terrible events - but I cannot help but wish that a subject as weighty as this were given the respect it deserves. The facts of what happened on September 5-6, 1972 would make any telling of them memorable, it is just a pity that this documentary gives them such short shrift.
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