REVIEW: ‘September 5’ is a Riveting, Fast Paced Drama
On September 5, 1972, the Games of the XX Olympiad were well underway in Munich, West Germany. Having started on August 26, 1972, this was the first time Germany had hosted the games since 1936. Hoping to shed a positive light on the war-torn city, millions tuned in to watch as swimmer Mark Spitz competed for 7 gold medals and badminton and water skiing were added as demonstration sports. However, what was supposed to be a momentous occasion turned deadly when members of Israeli Olympic Team were taken hostage by the Palestinian military group, Black September, in the Olympic Village. Told through the eyes of the ABC Sports broadcasting team, who was on the ground in Munich during this treacherous event, Paramount Pictures’ new film, September 5, takes movie goers inside the newsroom as the broadcasting team finds a way to keep all eyes on the events unfolding outside their broadcasting room.
Directed by Tim Fehlbaum, September 5 is a film that will have you on the edge of your seat within the first five minutes. By using miniscule sets and a small cast, Fehlbaum manages to not only capture the dramatic story, but also makes the audience feel as if they are right there in the broadcasting room with the cast. The use of actual footage and equipment from that day helped propel this notion and showed how hard it was for this broadcasting team to ensure these events were being aired live 24/7. Add in the fact, the story is extremely well paced. Fehlbaum and co-writer Moritz Binder don’t waste time on filler scenes or long-winded dialogue. Instead, they opt to tell quick condensed scenes that are filled with loads of tension and high stakes.
John Magaro and Ben Chaplin lead the cast as the head of the control room, Geoffrey Mason, and head of operations for ABC Sports, Marvin Badder. Both of these individuals give tremendous performances that help deliver a fantastic, extremely moving story. As the only female in the film, Leonie Benesch makes quite the name for herself as the fictional, Marianne Gebhardt. A German translator for ABC Sports, her performance gave the audience a unique perspective at the events that occurred on September 5. It was this perspective that gave the film the balance needed to pull such a harrowing story. Peter Sarsgaard rounds out the cast as the President of ABC Sports, Roone Arledge, and does a wonderful job. There is not a weak performance to be found in this film. This includes the background actors. Make sure to pay particular attention to these characters because their performances are just as good as the leads.
September 5 is an extremely moving story that is well worth watching. I highly recommend giving this film a watch. The jury is still out on whether or not it was a good idea for ABC Sports to display an act of terrorism live on TV, but this moment changed live TV coverage for ever. From fantastic performances to great storytelling, movie goers won’t be disappointed by checking this film out.
Grade: A