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This riveting documentary from Kevin MacDonald (Touching the Void), about the kidnap and killing of 11 Israeli athletes, opens with the promotional video for the 1972 Munich Olympics. It shows how much Germany wished to emphasise its peaceful credentials to the world. Security at Munich was kept deliberately lax to underline the country's non-military nature.
An interview with Jamal al Gashey, the one remaining member of the Black September group that took the Israeli athletes hostage, provides the backbone to this fast-paced, archive-rich film. As Gerald Seymour, ITN reporter at the time, puts it: 'Looking down at that balcony from our window was like staring into the cockpit of world events'. As hourly deadlines approach and pass, we sense the unbearable tension millions felt watching around the world. This was 24-hour rolling news decades before its time.
The Germans come up for some harsh criticism here. Their incompetence in negotiating with the terrorists beggars belief, and the bungling finale at the airport leaves the viewer shocked, appalled and angry. This is a documentary with the characters, action and pace of a fictional thriller. The fact it really happened is all the more remarkable.

 

Jamie Smith on 9th June 2006
View all 10 of Jamie Smith's reviews