Carl Roberts 
“While not breaking the mould, September 5 grips the audience as it takes them through the tragic events of Munich 1972.”
If you’re of a certain age, do you remember what you were doing on September 5th, 1972? That was the date that forever changed media coverage. It was on that date that during the Munich Summer Olympics, the Israeli athletes were taken hostage. Now, the upcoming movie, September 5, will give us a fresh perspective. The film, from Paramount Pictures, will open in cinemas on Friday. Can the film recreate the horrors witnessed on that day in Munich? Or should the film have been left to history?
SYNOPSIS
“September 5” unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today. Set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics, the film follows an American Sports broadcasting team that quickly adapted from sports reporting to live coverage of the Israeli athletes taken hostage. Through this lens, “September 5” provides a fresh perspective on the live broadcast seen globally by an estimated one billion people at the time.
At the heart of the story is Geoff (John Magaro). A young and ambitious producer striving to prove himself to his boss, the legendary TV executive Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard). Together with German interpreter Marianne (Leonie Benesch) and his mentor Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), Geoff unexpectedly takes the helm of the live coverage. As narratives shift, time ticks away, and conflicting rumors spread, with the hostages’ lives hanging in the balance. Geoff grapples with tough decisions while confronting his own moral compass.
THOUGHTS
Anyone going in expecting to see a recreation of the events that happened inside the athlete’s village will be sorely disappointed. This isn’t that kind of film. Instead, we get a faithful recreation of the events with the ABC Sports crew, who just happened to be broadcasting at the time. It tells the story of the event that changed broadcast history, allowing the audience to witness what they witnessed. To experience the decisions that were made and the reasoning behind them. About the fight that Roone Arledge put up to keep broadcasting. And not allow the news team to take over the coverage. It doesn’t shy away from the true facts of that day and the aftermath of the events. Instead, it presents them to us in a dramatic fashion.
By adding in archival footage of Jim McKay and Peter Jennings from Wide World of Sports, we feel as if we are witnessing events first-hand. We feel the tension throughout. We can’t help but be on the edge of our seats. Strangely, when the reports come through that the athletes have been rescued safely, we breathe a sigh of relief. Of course, we know that this isn’t true, that they are all dead as history and our own memories tell us. But for a short while, we allow ourselves to feel relief, only to have it snatched away from us in a heartbeat. And now we have to deal with the aftermath.
THE CAST
The entire cast performs brilliantly. Peter Sarsgaard as Roone Arledge comes across at times like a megalomaniac in charge. But nothing could be further than the truth. Arledge knows what he has on his hands, what his crew is capable of, and what they must achieve. It comes across as if Arledge has a new toy and refuses to share. This isn’t true, he has the news story unfolding right in front of him, just outside the crew’s front door. Sarsgaard gives us a cold-hearted at times but wonderfully dramatic performance.
John Magaro as Geoffrey Mason gives an Oscar-worthy performance. Mason is under pressure from the start, knowing what he has to do against the odds and the bosses he reports to. But the emotion he shows with what he is dealing with and the decisions he makes give us an incredible insight into Mason himself. Magaro excels here. As does Ben Chaplin as Marvin Bader. While Arledge makes some choices that don’t sit well with what we are seeing, Bader tries to bring a sense of morality, some common sense to offset what could happen. Chaplin is superb in his role, giving the film a much-needed humanity to it.
LEONIE BENESCH
Leonie Benesch as Marianne Gebhardt, a translator for the crew who speaks German and Hebrew gives the performance of a lifetime. She knows exactly why the German Police don’t act the way they should. Germany wants to show the world they are ashamed of the atrocities of World War II. They want to distance themselves from the Nazis and the genocide committed against the Jewish people. By the terrorists, Black September, taking Israelis as hostages, brings back into focus hostilities against the Jews, something Germany wants to move on from. Marianne is horrified and appalled by what is taking place. But she becomes one of the main players in the drama happening inside the ABC studios.
Mason needs Marianne for everything she knows, can do to help. Whether it be translating German into English that can be reported, her understanding of what’s going on and what is being planned or going out into the field to see the final moments of the crisis unfold, she is invaluable. Leonie Benesch deserves to be nominated for her performance here. She deserves it. She is perhaps the most human of all the real-life characters being portrayed here. With a heartfelt and incredible performance, Leonie Benesch brings her character to life, making us like her possibly the most of all of the cast.
TIM FEHLBAUM
The film is directed, co-produced, and co-written by Tim Fehlbaum. He does a marvellous job recreating the look and feel of the events of 1972 in Munich. The visual style he employs here works wonders. Allowing us to be submerged in what we are witnessing on the screen. The darkness of the TV studio, the hazy sunshine of the outside world, the colours we would have seen (or did see) on the TV during the situation. They are all recreated here to almost perfection.
With a tight and dramatic script co-written by Moritz Binder and Alex David, we find ourselves transported back to that dark day in history. But more than that, we find ourselves engrossed in a human story. Instead of a recreation of events happening outside of the studio. It also contains a fair amount of humour that eases some of the tension for a brief while before we are plunged back into the unfolding events.
VERDICT
While not breaking the mould, September 5 grips the audience as it takes them through the tragic events of Munich in 1972. It faithfully offers us a recreation that we can’t take our eyes or ears off of. We have to listen to the dialogue and listen to everything around us to fully immerse ourselves into the drama. We have to watch every frame and notice every movement to get the full experience we are offered here. This isn’t a gung-ho, action-packed popcorn movie that usually arrives at the multiplex. This is a human and more adult drama, one that makes us think as well as look on. And we know going in that it won’t have a happy ending or conclusion.
September 5th, 1972 was a very dark day in history. The shocking and tragic events that occurred have gone down as one of the most shocking over the past fifty or so years. An event that is burned into the memories of those who witnessed it and those who simply saw it on TV or the news. By presenting the audience with an alternative view of the events from the perspective of the ABC sports crew who reported it, the film doesn’t allow us to feel comfortable. But it does present a more human side to things that we maybe don’t expect. A worthy effort, one that deserves to be seen on the big screen. Recommended.
September 5 will be in cinemas from this Friday, courtesy of Paramount Pictures.
Introducing Carl! As the News Editor at Future of the Force, Carl has been an invaluable member of our team since early 2016. His expertise and dedication have made him an integral part of our editorial staff. Beyond his professional role, Carl is a fervent supporter of Liverpool F.C. and an avid follower of pop culture. He has a deep passion for Halloween, Friday the 13th, and the iconic movie franchises Star Wars and Star Trek.
He can be found either at his neighborhood cinema, enjoying the latest releases on the big screen, or at home streaming the newest blockbuster movies.
