Dir: Tim Fehlbaum
Cast: Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch
By shifting perspective to the journalists who frantically covered the 1972 Munich Massacre, “September 5” manages to capture the dedication and ethical ambiguity of those who broadcasted the tragedy to the rest of the world
Given the increasingly hostile nature of global politics over the past few decades, humanity now finds itself confronting acts of terrorism almost on a day-to-day basis. These horrific acts of violence and terror are broadcast to billions of homes worldwide, reminding us of the horrors that continue to plague our planet to this very day. Younger members of the public, particularly those born after the September 11 attacks in 2001, will find it hard to imagine a world free of terrorism, largely due to the determination and hard work of wartime journalists and media broadcasters who work tirelessly round the clock to bring these tragic flashpoints into our homes.
While our planet has been ravaged with civil unrest for centuries, whether it be revolving around politics or religion, it was not until one fateful day in 1972 that “terrorism” was first broadcast live to the world. “September 5” is the latest theatrical depiction of the Munich Massacre, which saw 12 Israeli athletes taken hostage by the Palestinian militants known as Black September during the 1972 Olympics in Munich. The historic tragedy has been tackled in film several times before, most famously in Steven Spielberg‘s 2005 Oscar-nominated thriller “Munich”, which depicted the events and subsequent assassinations of those involved at the hands of the Mossad. I myself was first made aware of the Munich Massacre in my early teens when I was first shown Kevin Macdonald‘s phenomenal, Oscar-winning documentary “One Day in September”, which thoroughly examined the day’s proceedings, from the ineptitude of the German authorities, the impact of media coverage, and the planning behind the attacks. The documentary also featured the first known interview of one of the surviving terrorists, who remained in hiding in an undisclosed location in Africa.
Having seen both Macdonald’s and Spielberg’s films, I was curious as to what Swiss director Tim Fehlbaum could offer to justify another mainstream portrayal of the darkest day in Olympic history. What Fehlbaum and his fellow writers, Moritz Binder and Alex David, have rather ingeniously managed to achieve with “September 5”, is offer a completely unique outlook on the series of events by purely focusing on the team of sports journalists who covered the incident over fifty years ago. While it may not be as impactful or insightful as Macdonald’s documentary, “September 5” is a more than acceptable companion piece.
The majority of the film’s brief 94 minute runtime takes place within the control room of American television broadcasters ABC, who’s sports team are in the midst of covering the ongoing XX Olympiad, live from the German city of Munich. Unbeknownst to the crew, they will soon be faced with an unprecedented crisis, as a mere 100 yards away, several Palestinian militants have invaded the nearby Olympic village and taken 12 members of the Israeli team hostage. Having heard gunshots during the night, ABC’s skeleton graveyard crew gradually learn that is a terrorist attack, with local translator Marianne (Leonie Benesch) continuously listening in on police broadcasts. Seizing on the opportunity for a compelling story, the newly recruited control room leader Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro) quickly organises a team to cover the hostage crisis, pivoting away from the games. Together with network executive Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard), Mason is able to break the story before rival stations, having negotiated more advantageous time slots and even sneaking in reporter Peter Jennings (Benjamin Walker) and a small crew to provide a live feed of the ongoing situation.
Most of the ABC crew remain optimistic that the crisis will be resolved successfully, blinding them to the ethical issues surrounding live coverage of a hostage situation. The enthusiastic Mason and Arledge are confronted by dismayed head of operations Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), who reminds the pair that lives of real people are at stake and they should not be eagerly looking to exploit the situation purely for ratings. Being Jewish himself, Bader also remains sceptical as to how the media coverage may impact the outcome of the crisis and whether or not any potential executions or escalations should be broadcast with the victim’s families likely to be watching.
I think what makes Fehlbaum’s film so compelling is how sobering and relevant the central story remains over half a century later. If approached differently, this dramatisation of a very real tragedy, could have come across as too politically motivated, hammering home its own standpoint on the still ongoing conflicts in Gaza between Israel and Palestine. While the film does touch on the political side of such events, its main political focus is aimed towards those responsible in delivering the news opposed to the news itself. The 1972 Munich Massacre was not just seen as a turning point as to how the western world perceived the act of terrorism, but also led to the much more politically radicalised media outlets we have in the present day. As the dramatic events unfold in “September 5”, we follow our crew of journalists and technicians as they frantically scramble around their control room in an effort to tell a genuine story, and it is this effort, determination and resulting ethical debate that reshaped modern day journalism.
At the centre of this story is real-life figure Roone Arledge, excellently portrayed by Sarsgaard, who after the events of 1972 would go on to change news broadcasting in the United States forever. Arledge shepherded in the concept of the celebrity anchor, one who would almost play up any given story by letting their emotions show on screen. This dramatic approach to newscasting has become increasingly exaggerated as the years have gone by, resulting in many outlets today using it to their advantage as a form of propaganda, to shift public opinion to the way that particular outlet is politically inclined. This results in a lot of mistruths being published by the media, not just in the US but worldwide, further fuelling an already hostile political landscape.
On top of the political and ethical questions raised in “September 5”, it also serves a solid, nail-biting thriller, and offers great insight into the famous Olympic incident for those who are not aware of it. The razor-sharp pacing of the constant back-and-forth script is more than matched by Hansjörg Weißbrich‘s relentless editing, which seamlessly blends the movie’s behind the scenes dramatisation with the real-life coverage that was broadcast by ABC back in 1972. Without us ever having to leave the confines of the studio control room, we are kept fully up to date of the events through information relayed through several of our central players, whether this be Leonie Benesch’s Marianne via her radio signals, Peter Jennings and his on location team’s use of the state-of-the-art live broadcast cams, or through the various feeds of the apartment complex continuously playing on the control room monitors.
While the creative decision to not follow the hostage crisis directly makes sense narratively given the media ethics explored in “September 5”, it does detract from what is one of the most astonishing stories of the 21st century. While I would say it is definitely worth seeking out, I strongly recommend that those unfamiliar with what transpired at the 1972 Olympic Games check out Kevin Macdonald’s “One Day in September” first, so you are fully equipped going into this as it serves as an excellent companion piece.
September 5 is now showing in UK Cinemas
Dan Loves Film 
Very well written !!
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Thank You
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