Munich vs Murderball

Much has been made about whether or not Munich—which deals with the Israeli/Palestinian conflicts through a retelling of the Munich Olympics hostage crisis—is politically incorrect. At first, I found the idea ludicrous: movies can be about anything, and they can be directed by anyone, as long as the method of storytelling is compelling, and the performances are rich and the effects are good. So, it’s with a twinge of guilt that I tell you I really liked Munich; not because of its fair handling of politics and accurate portrayal of historic events. No, my friends, I liked Munich because it’s so much fun. Seriously, it’s got Daniel Craig, and this is a fantastic way for him to bone up on his James Bond skills. Munich rocks.

I mean, Munich is sensitive and intelligent in its handling of the ongoing differences between two passionate and difficult cultures, and its presentation of historical events is both accurate and compelling as drama. And it kicks ass like the Jason Bourne movies.

Eric Bana stars as Avner, a secret operative assigned to assassinate the terrorists responsible for kidnapping and murdering the Israeli athletes. He’s assigned a team of specialists, including Daniel Craig as his badass sidekick and Mathieu Kassovitz as a bomb expert who is really a toymaker and more knowledgeable about disarming bombs than blowing shit up. His competence level is the source of much suspense in Munich, but also a few surprising laughs. Avner’s crew (including the invaluable Geoffrey Rush as a go-between for money, contacts and sarcasm) is a bit ragtag; add a contortionist and maybe a Bernie Mac and they could rob a casino. Their job is so difficult it’s tragic, with the constant fear of innocents being killed, not to mention their ideals being tested each second, as they wonder just how much peace of mind revenge might ultimately bring. And, even though it’s Serious Business, the scenes of Avner and his associates taking out their targets carries every bit of the action movie exhilaration of films like Reservoir Dogs or The Professional. Speilberg should seriously consider mounting a crime movie.

 The horrors of the 1972 Olympics are seen mainly through Avner’s nightmares, and it’s a bold, smart choice. Eric Bana is a great actor (You’ve seen Chopper, right? Go see Chopper), and he conveys every level of his character with compassion and intelligence. Avner is an amateur chef, cooking enormous meals to focus and ease his mind, and he’s a new father, and he truly loves his country and colleagues, and wants to do what’s right. I suppose we’ll never know just how much of his story is true, or how Avner lived the rest of his life, but for the duration of Munich, Bana makes his inner turmoil the focus of the movie. For a film about religion, politics, terrorism and espionage, that’s no small feat.

Munich was directed by Steven Speilberg, who has become such a dependable director of smart movies for adults that it’s easy to take him for granted. Munich is well-paced, smartly scripted and cast so well Speilberg must have secretly been planning this one for years (for example, Lynn Cohen plays Golda Meir, in two tiny scenes, but she’s so detailed and interesting in her portrayal that she dominates the first quarter of the movie). Visually, Munich is one of Speilberg’s smartest films. The violence (and Munich is quite violent, second only to Saving Private Ryan in Speilberg’s filmography) is handled with shocking realism, giving some of the scenes with the hostages the feel of old crime scene photos. You want to look away, but the details are fascinating, so you look, and then you regret it, over and over, and here comes some more, and you don’t want to miss it, so let’s look again, and it’s awful, so look away. This Speilberg guy is good.

And in the end, after following their targets from country to country, years passing, partners dying, babies growing older, Avner is still with us, and we realize, this conflict, in the movie and in life, is really about individuals. Avner is a good man, undeniably, even if he’s done some questionable things, regardless for which side they were done. This is bound to be part of Speilberg’s point. That Avner is also a total badass and his crew treats their burdensome assignment as much like a caper as a mission of religious vengeance is a bonus we might never fully appreciate.

Like Munich, Murderball is a movie rooted in truth, with tragic backstories and characters of strength and integrity. It comes tailor-made for shaking your head slowly with regret, or maybe nodding your head slowly with empathy. It’s built for asking the

Big Questions, and for looking within ourselves. Mainly, I just think it’s awesome.

When Hollywood gets a hold of the handicapped, the differently-abled, or even people who are maybe just a little slow, the results are rarely anything other than humiliating, condescending or downright creepy (oh, hello, The Other Sister, I was just talking about you.). So, if you’re going to make a movie about wheelchair rugby players, it’s probably best to just find the real guys and turn the camera on, which is what Murderball does. Each of the main characters of the documentary has a sad story in his past, be it auto crash, disease or just plain bad luck, and each has been left with varying degrees of paralysis, although I’m pretty sure once you’re paralyzed anywhere, you’re done talking about the varying degrees it might occur in someone else.

And so, for certain paralyzed badasses, we have the Paralympics, which has Wheelchair Rugby (also known by the sweeter, gentler name Murderball) as an event. We meet two teams, the Americans and the Canadians, the latter of which is coached by Joe Soares, who is not Canadian, but rather an embittered former American player, and if this weren’t a documentary, the first character created by a screenwriter. Joe is basically a jerk; he’s near neglectful of his son, he’s a loudmouth on the court, and he feels no loyalty or affection towards his former teammates.

At the other end of the spectrum, we have Mark Zupan, who was paralyzed in a way I won’t say here (his story is a big part of Murderball, and deserves to be discovered in context), and is the most popular and probably most talented player in the league. He’s sort of like Eric Bana with wheels.

I’ve probably made Murderball seem frivolous or Very Special. It’s neither. It’s compelling human drama, suspenseful sports and an all-around example of the power of the human spirit and how much higher we can reach when we aspire to be more fun and to kick more ass. I think Murderball, like Munich, is one of the best movies of 2005.  Murderball is probably a very important documentary, and there’s probably lessons for us all to learn from it. Mainly though, I think you should watch it because it’s fun, and Wheelchair Rugby couldn’t be more badass. I won’t tell anyone if you tear up some at the end when Light and Day plays on the soundtrack and they hand out medals.

A sidebar: when you mention that you’ve seen Murderball (and I highly recommend that you see it), everybody’s going to think you’re talking about Rollerball, or maybe even Monster’s Ball. People are stupid and should read more magazines. It’s not you, it’s them.

Munich: A
Murderball:A