I guess one can call it sac-religious to be an aspiring filmmaker and lose faith, or become discouraged by the work of Steven Spielberg. However, between the years 1998-2005, his projects began to get under my skin and I began questioning his integrity. After Saving Private Ryan, Spielberg decided to become what Michael Bay is aspiring to be--a big budget, bad story telling, action director. With the exception of Catch Me If You Can, his work, both as a director and as a producer began to infuriate me. Then in the fall if 2005, my views, expressions and just about everything else changed. The release of Munich, not only had me suspended in the theater like a man walking a tightrope, but I quickly became infatuated with the way Spielberg told this story. Munich is about the events following the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany, when 11 Israeli athletes where taken hostage and later killed. Munich, explores the after-math the state of Israel had taken on those who planned the attack. The film, starring Eric Bana, Daniel Craig and Geoffrey Rush explores the dark side of humanity and the question "is revenge the best option?" Its story is as relative today, living in a post 9/11 society as the Iraelis living with fear and lose at those Olympic games. The film was sought to critical praise, yet it was overshadowed at award season due to the controversial Brokeback Mountain and Crash. Their is something about this movie that has since drawn me to it time and time again. After I first saw it in theaters, whether its the lighting, cinematography, performance, costume design or just the unconventional and relentless story telling from Tony Kushner's script that had me on the edge of my seat, and still does for its near three hour duration, its presentation and look was unlike anything I had ever witnessed. Since Munich, my mouth has been shut and my view of Spielberg has gone back to the days when I was a child watching his early work. I guess, much like the film itself, everyone needs to question their authorities.
