21 Hours at Munich (1976)

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

The nightmarish specter of terrorism on an international level can be said to have its origins in what occurred during September 4th and 5th, 1972 at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich, West Germany. For twenty-one hours, the world, having been transfixed by how much the standing of the German nation had improved during these Games from what had been done in Berlin in 1936 under the shadow of Hitler, was horrified by how eight heavily armed gunmen belonging to the Black September terrorist organization had managed to storm the Olympic Village and hold nine Israeli athletes hostage (having already killed two of them). The terrorists' demands, which of course Israel wasn't about to comply with, were the release of two hundred militants from various factions being held in German prisons, or the Israelis would be killed. It all ended in the most horrific way possible at nearby Furstenfeldbruck airport early on the morning of September 5th.The 1976 made-for-TV film 21 HOURS AT MUNICH was really the first dramatic attempt to place these horrific events into context; and given that, when it aired on November 7, 1976, the events were still relatively fresh, it had to have been more than a little painful to watch. That said, this still holds up as a thoroughly well made film about the first act of internationally televised political terrorism. Incredibly filmed on location in Munich itself, the film stars William Holden as Manfred Schreiber, the chief of police in Munich who has to deal with this incredible crisis for which West Germany was woefully unprepared for (deliberately lax security, owing to a desire not to make the Olympic Village seem like a modern-day concentration camp, allowed the terrorists to slip through), with Franco Nero portraying the Black September leader who identifies himself as "Issa". In the main, the approach taken by this movie towards the incident is one resembling a chess game, with nine Jewish pawns in the middle of it all. And when Holden is forced to make the decision to end this thing at Furstenfeldbruck, he is under the assumption that Nero has only four compatriots with him, when in reality it was eight. And with untrained snipers not being told how to coordinate with one another as to the targets, the nightmare that ensues is all but preordained.While it might have been exceptionally tempting for this TV movie, which was scripted by Edward Hume (TWO MINUTE WARNING) and Howard Fast (the author of the source material for Stanley Kubrick's 1960 epic SPARTACUS) from the book of the same name by Serge Groussard, to turn the events into melodramatic fodder, veteran TV and feature film director William A. Graham holds off on that, instead allowing this to become more of a psychological drama in which the entire world was watching. Although much more of the Munich tragedy, including the well-meaning ineptitude of the Bavarian and West German officials and the arrogance of the International Olympic Committee in not halting the games until some eleven hours into the crisis, was shown in the later Oscar-winning 1999 documentary ONE DAY IN September, 21 HOURS AT MUNICH still manages to let a fair amount of that in itself. Holden and Nero are very well matched; and the film also co-stars Shirley Knight, Anthony Quayle, and Richard Basehart (who portrays West German chancellor Willie Brandt).The events of Munich have colored not only the Olympics, both winter and summer, in political and social turmoil of some kind ever since, but a great many sports events around the world, including our Super Bowl and the World Cup. 21 HOURS AT MUNICH, like the later ONE DAY IN September and Steven Spielberg's own 2005 film MUNICH (which looks at Israel's response to the horror), gives us as insightful a glimpse into why this is so as any dramatic presentation could ever hope to accomplish.

I've vaguely picked up a thing or two about the infamous so-called "Munich Massacre" in school and from quizzes, but the best way to learn about our world's darkest history pages remains watching a lot of movies (and preferably not the Oscar-winning blockbuster types directed by Steven Spielberg). "21 Hours at Munich" is a straightforward and raw, but hugely compelling, re-telling of the tragedy that occurred during the Summer Olympics of 1972 held in Munich. Several members of the Palestinian terrorist organization Black September invaded the Olympic village, which clearly suffered from a lack of proper security and basic surveillance, and took hostage of nine Israeli athletes and coaches. Two people were violently killed during the takeover. The terrorists' demands were clear and nonnegotiable, namely the release of no less than 234 fellow Palestinian rebels in various Israeli prisons, but Israel denied all forms of collaboration and thus the only thing German authorities could do was try and gain extra time. Less than a day later, hence the title, the act of terrorism resulted in a genuine blood bath at Fürstenfeldbruck Airport, where the nine hostages as well as most of the terrorists got killed by gunfire. As indicated above already, I wasn't all too familiar with the detailed facts surrounding the Munich Massacre, hence I can't fully judge the accuracy of this film. But, since it's a made-for-TV production that puts the emphasis on dialogs and factual settings instead of sensationalism, I daresay the movie is probably the most accurate depiction of what really happened. The drama effect of the film is quickly established since it's clear from the beginning that the hostage situation can't but result in a tragedy. The Israeli government rejects all negotiations and pushes the responsibility back to the German authorities. Then, the terrorists demand to flee to Cairo but the Egyptian government rejects all negotiations and pushes the responsibility back to the German authorities. For Germany, the situation is extra delicate because of their negative historical reputation. After all, the entire world is watching skeptically whether or not they will prevent the Jewish athletes from dying on German soil. Fascinating, real-life dramatic subject matter makes this one a truly recommended 70's movie. "21 Hours at Munich" is suspenseful and harsh, but always remains respectful towards the victims and never at one point exploits the violent and/or political aspects of the events. The acting performances are terrific, albeit the casting couldn't have been easy. Franco Nero, as the terrorist leader, doesn't look Arabian at all, but nevertheless delivers a powerfully bleak and emotionless performance. William Holden is great as the German chief of police, but Shirley Knight is somewhat redundant as the only female character in the entire movie. She plays the spokesperson of the Olympic committee and – fruitlessly - attempts to create a bond with the terrorists' leader. Also, keep an eye open for David Hess (the psycho from "Last House on the Left") as one of the Israeli hostages.

A semi-documentary movie about the terrorist attack on the Israeli team at the Olympic Games at Munich 1972. In opposite to later adaptations of the same historical event, "21 Hours at Munich" was shot on the original locations. However, it is a little bit less of a documentary than it seems at first, it does take a bit of creative freedom in the narration. Which has been criticized by some reviewers, but makes it a better movie after all. Excellent performances by William Holden as the police chief and Franco Nero as the terrorist leader, whose motivation is explained remarkably well. He is not just the one-dimensional Hollywood villain firing bullets in all directions. That was important to make the film believable, as well as the discussions between the politicians. Even it makes the movie quite wordy, the reasons why and when and how the police fights the terrorists are explained well. "21 Hours at Munich" is a movie you should watch, first for the tragic history that hopefully will never be repeated, second for its solid story telling and acting which is above the genre average.

Very well done film about the murders of the Israeli Olympic team members by terrorists. Gripping, heartbreaking, and a good job done by Bill Holden as the police inspector. Everyone involved does a stellar job. A great time capsule of the terrible 70's. See it!