By Barry Caine, STAFF WRITER
Inside Bay Area; 12/22/2005 12:10 PM

'MUNICH" is like the Harry Potter mirror that shows something different to everyone who looks into it.

Some people will see the Steven Spielberg film as a complex thriller.
Others will view it as a meditation on violence.

Still others will perceive it as a reflection on home as sanctuary from a dangerous world.

And they will all be right. At 164 minutes, "Munich" has time to explore a host of themes.

Too much time. The film feels about 20 minutes too long, maybe more. And like the last "Lord of the Rings" movie, it provides a handful of satisfactory endings when one would suffice.

There are other nitpicks. In spite of them, the picture captivates.

Inspired by the book "Vengeance" by Canadian journalist George Jonas, "Munich" stems from the 1972 Palestinian terrorist attack on the Olympic Village in West Germany during which 11 members of the Israeli team were killed.

The movie recreates the tragedy, then presents a fictional look at the covert Israeli assassination squad — known to Israeli intelligence as "Operation Wrath of God" — sent to retaliate.

The Olympic siege, which opens the film, is chilling. (The documentary "One Day in September" provides an excellent look back if you want more detail.)
Scripted by Tony Kushner, Pulitzer Prize winner for "Angels in America," the picture quickly shifts to the creation of the hit squad.

"Forget peace for now," Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir (Lynn Cohen) tells Avner (Eric Bana), a Mossad agent asked to head the team. "We have to show we're strong."

The government disavows any knowledge of the assassins. They are on their own and will remain so for as long as it takes to kill 11 people believed to have masterminded the attack.

The hunt takes them to Geneva, Rome, Paris, Beirut and Brooklyn. Although rooted in the past, the story resonates with events in the world today.
Initially fueled by anger, each of the five is endowed with a distinct personality and shows the impact of the murders as they pile up and the hunters become prey.

Avner's arc takes him from inexperienced leader to tough, cold squad boss, then into doubt and paranoia. Bana, star of "The Hulk," shows unexpected range in an impressive portrayal.

Carl (Ciaran Hands), a meticulous organizer who makes sure the kills are clean, is the first to question the assignments.

Robert (actor-filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz), a Belgian toymaker who specializes in explosives, is the most vulnerable. Hans (Hanns Zischler), a German antiques dealer and forger, and Steve (Daniel Craig, the new James Bond), a hard-case South African driver, round out the group.

Kushner mixes in a humanistic look at the Palestinian side of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict via a conversation between a PLO member and Avner. The common ground: A desire for a homeland of their own.

Spielberg isn't much for subtlety in "Munich." A thrumming sound accompanies the buildup to each kill. Aimed at amping up the tension, it becomes more of a distraction than an enhancement.

Other classic techniques milk the suspense. You've seen them before; they still work.

"Munich" is exciting, moving and provocative. Expect a lot of stimulating conversation.
InsideBayArea.com