Steven Spielberg made a film about twenty or so years ago about the hostage and subsequent murder of eleven Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich, Germany Summer Olympics. The first ever filmed by television cameras and beamed to the United States for Americans to watch live while events were happening or on tape delay for us to watch later. The film was about the Israeli Secret Service getting revenge on those responsible for the terror attack.  September 5th was the day this tragic event happened. Now these events are shown from the perspective of the television network, ABC, that broadcasts them live. While they were taking place.

September 5 1972 will always be a day that Jewish people will remember. Those watching were treated to the live footage by ABC who were covering the Olympics that year for the first time. The decision to beam this tragic news to the country was not an easy one. The producers Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro), Roone Arledge (Peter Skarsgard), and Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin) had a difficult job on how to tell the American people about this incident. As professional journalists, they had a duty to the world at large to give them the best coverage they could, and they did so from all accounts.

I wasn’t born yet in 1972, but I know people who were, and from my conversations, they said that they were in shock and awe over the detailed coverage of the event that transpired during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. With there being one of the athletes having parents in America this was a good story for American news networks. What went on behind the scenes to make this magic happen to come to television screens was incredible. I was amazed by all the technical tricks these men and women used to make all this take place. Television has come a long way since then, but this was some pretty remarkable coverage by ABC.

Tim Fehlbaum, the writer/director of this movie took viewers inside a television studio and newsroom to give them a view that they wouldn’t otherwise get. There are a lot of supporting characters who are in this film besides the three main characters I’ve already mentioned. Leone Benesch plays Marianne Gerhardt, (The Teachers Lounge) a German woman who works at the studio but helps them as a translator in various key moments of the event.  Benjamin Walker (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power) plays famous newscaster Peter Jennings. He plays a key part in reporting from the surrounding area around the Athletic Village where athletes eat and live. His voice is heard quite a bit in the movie. Zinedine Soualem plays Jacques Lesgardt, a production assistant in the newsroom who has some key conversations with a lot of the key players in the story.

What I loved most about this movie was how you could cut the tension with a knife. It was so intense I was on the edge of my seat from the beginning of the film until the end. Having already known what actually happened during this attack I still was glued to the screen for every scene. The script was whip-smart with timely dialogue and banter between some of the members of the production team. With such a difficult situation tensions are going to arise between members of a news or television team behind the scenes. This movie dictated that very well. I felt like I was a fly on the walk during something I shouldn’t have been a part of but I was. It was exhilarating to an extent.  While also being very sad as well.

With any period piece film, there are some technical aspects that are very important to get right such as the production design, costumes, and makeup & hairstyling. These three things can make or break a movie. In the case of September 5, all three of these things were done exceptionally well. The studio set that was reproduced for the film was meticulously designed.  Every little detail from phones to cameras and everything in between was painstakingly realized. I felt like I was in the room with these men and women.  The clothes on everybody and the hairstyling and makeup on all the actors looked very authentic to the times as well. I felt like I went back in time while watching this timely film.

September 5 is very timely because of what is going on right now in the Gaza Strip. Even though this is a movie that takes place fifty years ago, it’s very timely today. The themes are very relatable for many people around the world, including Americans who experienced 911 22 years ago. Fehlbaum captured every aspect of this event exceptionally well. From all the technical aspects to the dialogue from the actors I felt like I was a fly on the wall during these events. The acting from this ensemble is top-notch notch with John Magaro as the standout who should be considered for awards in the months to come. This was a great film that brought back a difficult time in history, but like ABC and these men and women who witnessed it, it will be forever preserved in people’s memories and celluloid.

4 ½ stars

Dan Skip Allen