SEPTEMBER 5 – A Review by John Strange

This is a film based on true events, a historical docudrama.  The title, September 5, is not a date.  The name refers to the five members of the terrorist group Black September who infiltrated the Israeli dorm rooms at the Munich Summer Olympics in 1972.

The team of ABC sports reporters and crews made the fateful decision to hold onto the coverage instead of passing the story over to the news crews.  As the story unfolded, the sports reporting team did an amazing job of presenting the story to the American public.

The filmmakers’ decision to use the actual archival footage of Jim McKay reporting the events as they occurred was amazing and locked us firmly into the story.  Benjamin Walker as Peter Jennings can be heard as he moved to a location where he could see the dorm rooms and report on the events as they happened.  This tactic by the ABC team gave them access to the events that no other news team had.

The acting team was brilliant. Ben Chaplin as Marvin Bader was the lynchpin of the film’s tale.  He was the second-tier director who was normally used by the team overnight to prepare for the next day’s coverage, took the reins and did the job.  His character performed his job in a way that brought honor to the team.  Ben’s portrayal was spot on.

Two other important characters in this drama were Peter Sarsgaard as Roone Arledge, the ABC executive in charge of the Olympic coverage; and Leonie Benesch as Marianne Gebhardt the team’s interpreter.

I was impressed by all of the decisions made by director Tim Fehlbaum to bring us this story from writers Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum, and Alex David.  The film is an impressive look at the dark day in the history of our world.  I can’t say enough good things about this film.

 

Director: Tim Fehlbaum

Cast: John Magaro, Peter Sarsgaard, Leonie Benesch, Ben Chaplin

MPAA Rating: R (for language)

Selig Rating: 5 Stars

Runtime: 91 Min.

Release Dates: December 13 (NY, LA, Toronto), January 10 (Chicago, Dallas, SF, Boston, DC, Seattle, Phoenix), and January 17 (wide)

Language: English, German

Genre: History, Thriller

Trailer: SEPTEMBER 5 Official Trailer

 

The Selig Rating Scale:

5 Stars – Excellent movie/show, well worth the time and price.

4 Stars – Good movie/show

3 Stars – OK movie/show

2 Stars – Well, there was nothing else…

1 Star – Total waste of time.

John Strange
John Strangehttp://seligpolyscope.com
Film reviewer who was raised from an early age to love the art form, I was watching films with the family before I could walk. I miss the plethora of drive-ins we once had in this country. I am a photographer who gets recognized occasionally at the events, society and film, that I attend.

Similar Articles

Comments

Instagram

Most Popular