The hostage crisis at the 1972 Munich Olympics, also known as the “Munich Massacre,” has been the subject of several movies and documentaries over the years. Steven Spielberg’s Munich from 2005 was nominated for five Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director.
Now, we have a new angle on the devastating terrorist attack.
September 5, a movie from director Tim Fehlbaum (The Colony) and starring Peter Sarsgaard (Presumed Innocent), John Magaro (Past Lives) and Ben Chaplin (Family), looks at the perspective of the ABC Sports broadcasting team as the kidnapping of nine Israeli athletes unfolds.
ABC Sports was on site in Munich for the games, set up adjacent to the Olympic Village. What was expected to be a simple day of sport broadcasting turned into a harrowing experience as producer Geoff Mason (Magaro) and executive Roone Arledge (Sarsgaard) had to navigate the morals and speed of making decisions real-time during an international crisis.
The movie is gripping and will have you on the edge of your seat, despite never leaving the control room. Decisions have to be made on the fly, and the repercussions were literally seen worldwide. The setting itself becomes a character, something that was important to Fehlbaum.
“That’s exactly how we approached it,” the director told For The Win in a recent interview. “We wanted that world to be as accurately and authentically [portrayed] as possible. We also thought that in a in a movie that is about the media, everything that comes along with that, with the technology of television back then, it has to be understandable for the audience.”
Sarsgaard and Magaro are phenomenal, and the supporting cast of Chaplin (Marvin Bader), Leonie Benesch (German translator Marianne Gebhardt) and Benjamin Walker (ABC news anchor Peter Jennings) all bring life to the story.
September 5 is out December 13 in an exclusive release, with the expansion release set for January 17, 2025.
Movie: September 5
Release Date: December 13, 2024/January 17, 2025
Director: Tim Fehlbaum
Stars: Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin
Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
