Munich (2005)

Director: Steven Spielberg
Writers: Tony Kushner, Eric Roth
Genre: Drama, Thriller
Rated: R
Studio: Universal Pictures
Release Date: December 23, 2005 (Limited) & January 6, 2006(Wide) (USA)

Cast
- Eric Bana
- Daniel Craig
- Geoffrey Rush
- Mathieu Kassovitz
- Hanns Zischler
- Ciaran Hinds
- Brian Goodman

Synopsis
At the center of the story is the young Israeli patriot and intelligence officer Avner (ERIC BANA). Still mourning the Munich massacre and infuriated by its savagery, Avner is approached by a Mossad officer named Ephraim (GEOFFREY RUSH) who presents him with an unprecedented mission in Israeli history. He asks Avner to leave behind his pregnant wife, relinquish his identity and go completely underground on a mission to hunt down and kill the 11 men accused by Israeli intelligence of masterminding the murders at Munich.

Despite his youth and inexperience, Avner soon becomes the leader of a team of four very diverse yet highly skilled recruits: the brash, tough, South African-born getaway driver, Steve (DANIEL CRAIG); the German Jew Hans (HANNS ZISCHLER), who has a flair for forging documents; the Belgian toymaker-turned-explosives-expert, Robert (Mathieu Kassovitz); and the quiet, methodical Carl (CIARAN HINDS), whose job is to “clean up” after the others.

From Geneva to Frankfurt, Rome, Paris, Cyprus, London and Beirut, Avner and his team circle the globe under a cloak of extreme secrecy, tracking down each man on a closely guarded list of targets and carrying out intricately plotted assassinations, one by one. Working outside the rubric of international law, adrift without home or family, their only connection to humanity becomes one another. But even that starts to fray as the four men begin to argue among themselves about the unsettling questions that just won’t go away: “Who exactly are we killing? Can it be justified? Will it stop the terror?”

Torn between their desire for justice and their own growing doubts, the mission begins to tear at the souls of Avner and his team, and it becomes increasingly clear that the longer they remain on the hunt, the more they are in danger of becoming the hunted.

Alternate Titles
- München (Denmark / Finland / Finland (Swedish title) / Germany / Norway / Sweden)
- Munich (Canada (French title) / France / Spain)
- Münih (Turkey (Turkish title))
- Minchen (Israel (Hebrew title))
- Minhen (Serbia)
- Monaho (Greece)
- Munique (Brazil)
- Untitled 1972 Munich Olympics Project (USA (working title))

Trivia
- The role of Avner was written with Eric Bana in mind.
- The time span between the start of production to the release date in December of 2005 was less than six months.