Munich
Movie, 2005, The 2000s, Set in A Prayer for Peace
Munich is #23 of 29 in release order and #23 of 29 in chronological order in the John Williams.
The story
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.
Munich recap
Munich (2005) follows Avner Kaufman, a Mossad agent who leads a secret team hunting the men Israel blames for the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre. Steven Spielberg directs the historical thriller, written by Tony Kushner and Eric Roth from George Jonas's book Vengeance. After Black September kills eleven Israeli athletes, Avner Kaufman (Eric Bana) resigns from the Mossad on paper so Israel can deny the mission, and his handler Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush) gives him a list of eleven names. His team includes the driver Steve (Daniel Craig), the bomb-maker Robert (Mathieu Kassovitz), the cleaner Carl (Ciarán Hinds) and the forger Hans (Hanns Zischler). A French informant, Louis, sells them locations. They kill targets in Rome, Paris, Cyprus and Beirut, argue over bystanders, and in Athens share a safe house with Palestinian fighters, where Avner talks with one of them about homeland. A Prayer for Peace, a slow theme with a wordless female voice, plays over the film's grief and doubt; in this list Munich follows Memoirs of a Geisha and comes before Lincoln.
Munich ending explained
Munich ends with Ephraim refusing Avner's invitation to dinner in Brooklyn, and the camera resting on the New York skyline with the World Trade Center. Before that, Carl, Hans and Robert are killed one by one, the team fails twice to kill Ali Hassan Salameh, and Avner, paranoid, moves his family to New York. Closing text says nine of the eleven targets were killed, including Salameh in 1979. Some former Mossad officers disputed the book the film is based on.
Post-credits scenes
No. Munich has no mid- or post-credits scene.
Where to watch Munich
Munich is streaming on Prime Video in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 4.7/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Memoirs of a Geisha, before Lincoln.
- Chronological order: after Memoirs of a Geisha, before Lincoln.
Cast
- Eric Bana as Avner
- Daniel Craig as Steve
- Ciarán Hinds as Carl
- Mathieu Kassovitz as Robert
- Hanns Zischler as Hans
- Ayelet Zurer as Daphna
- Geoffrey Rush as Ephraim
- Gila Almagor as Avner's Mother
- Michael Lonsdale as Papa
- Mathieu Amalric as Louis
- Moritz Bleibtreu as Andreas
- Valeria Bruni Tedeschi as Sylvie
Directed by Steven Spielberg.