14/10
I had the honor of seeing this excellent film at the AFI Film Festival
Narrative
During the 1972 Munich Olympics, an American sports broadcasting crew is assigned to cover the hostage situation of Israeli athletes.
Set in the ABC control room of the 1972 Munich Olympics, the film realistically depicts both the routine aspects of running a control room during an event and, of course, the tragic Black September attacks on the Israeli athletes
In the control room are ABC sports president Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard), junior producer Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro), vice president of Olympic coverage Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), and German interpreter Marianne Gebhardt (Leonie Benesch), all of whom play their roles superbly.
But the key aspect of any thriller is the script and direction by Tim Fehlbaum, who will keep you hooked throughout the film
The film also accurately shows how technology that was considered cutting edge at the time seems amusingly primitive today (examples include giant VCRs, competition for satellite space, manual insertion of graphics, etc.).
The realism is further enhanced by the use of archive footage of Jim McKay’s coverage of the tragedy
My only minor criticism is the casting of Benjamin Walker as Peter Jennings – he doesn’t seem quite right for the role of the handsome and dapper anchorman I remember (I probably would have cut his role and just relied on the tape of Jennings speaking from the Olympic Village).
But that criticism doesn’t stop me from highly recommending this excellent film – it’s a must-see!
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