Steven Spielberg created one hell of a revenge movie in 2005’s Munich, which was based on George Jonas’ book Vengeance. The film (and the book) was a fictionalized version of the real-life assassinations that followed the killing of Israeli athletes in the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. It was one of Spielberg’s most controversial films as Mossad condemned the portrayal of their assassins in the film.
The Jaws director is unapologetic about the criticism that his film faced. He shared that he wanted the conversation to take place surrounding the themes of the film. Interestingly, it was one of the lowest-grossing Spielberg films in the United States.
Steven Spielberg Wanted To Start A Conversation With His Movie Munich
Steven Spielberg gave himself only three months to make his historical drama film, Munich. When he sat down to discuss his iconic films with Entertainment Weekly, he was asked about this urgency. Spielberg shared with the outlet that he wanted to start a conversation at the right time about the Palestinian-Israeli two-nation-state solution.
While Spielberg clarified that his film wasn’t one with a political agenda nor did it advocate for the issue. According to Spielberg, he only intended to show how Israel responded to the Munich attack against their athletes. The Jurassic Park director also explained why the film ran into controversy at the time of its release.
Spielberg revealed that besides showing just the assassinations carried out by Mossad agents, the film also showed the human side of these assassins. Spielberg explained how the film showed the agents questioning their motivations.
The Bridge of Spies director is sure that if the film were only to deal with Mossad carrying out the Israeli Prime Minister’s orders, it would have been an action thriller. However, Spielberg didn’t want to tell such a story and tried to start a conversation, which sparked the controversy. He shared with EW:
It’s also a story, which a lot of people misunderstood, about soldiers in the field. Not supermen-type soldiers, but more like Private Ryan soldiers. When they started questioning, ”Is the person we’re assassinating even indirectly responsible for what happened at the Summer Games?” — those are questions that soldiers often ask themselves in any war.
That’s where the film ran into controversy. Had this movie simply been about Mossad carrying out Golda Meir’s directives, it would have been an action movie and there would have been no controversy. I wasn’t going to tell that story, or make that movie. I wanted this to begin a conversation.
When asked about the conversation that followed the film, Spielberg shared that there were responses that ruffled some feathers. However, he also shared about the ridiculous responses to the film, including the one from director Judd Apatow‘s film Knocked Up where the characters talk about ‘Jews kicking people’s a**es’.
What Was The Controversy Surrounding Steven Spielberg’s Munich?
Former Mossad agents criticized the film for its inaccuracy in depicting the organization’s operations. According to TODAY, former Deputy Director of Mossad, David Kimche, alleged that Spielberg chose the wrong book, which he claimed to be false, to adapt into the film. The veterans also criticized the all-male team of assassins and also the direct recruitment of operatives by Golda Meir.
However, the most critical aspect of the film for Mossad was the mixed feelings of the assassins in the film. In Munich, the assassins eventually develop a revulsion to the killings, which Mossad claimed to be inaccurate. They shared that their operatives had no doubt in mind about what they were doing.
Interestingly, Mossad also claimed that it was not a single team that conducted all the assassinations. They shared that a large number of assassins were involved in the operation. The film made $131 million, but its US grossing was one of the lowest for a Spielberg film with just $47 million (via Box Office Mojo).
Munich is now available for streaming on Starz.
