Munich (2005)

Going into this, I expected to come away with a sense of pride and awe for the mossad agents who were sent out to assassinate the Munich terrorists. I didn't expect to feel so much pain and sadness.

Of course the action sequences are done well. The suspense on all the bomb attacks is done to perfection. There are typical Spielberg camera moves and flourishes and indefinitely love all that. I loved that I saw Jewish, Israeli heroes in a big budget Hollywood movie. A movie that presented us as strong, capable warriors.

But the movie also deals tremendously with the emotional, mental side of it all. Of the pain of leaving your family to go do the job. Of realizing that no matter how many men you assassinate, they will be replaced and the fight will never end. Of the trauma involved with the Arab Israeli conflict and the paranoia that pervades everything after you've undertaken a mission as secret as this.

I definitely prefer this deep, character study alongside the typical thriller, vengeance movie. It gives the story richness and treats the characters as real people. But that also means it's a tough pill to swallow.