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Well, the Spielberg that actually has something to say is back, that's a nice break from the stale popcorn crap he's turned in for a few years now. This fictional account (inspired, but not based on facts) of the Isreali government's reaction to its murdered athletes from the Munich Olympics back in the day isn't necessarily far-fetched, but does walk a fine line with the preachiness. The good news is that what it's preaching isn't one-sided, and that the old saying "actions speak louder than words" triumphs in the battle between great action and pretty simple dialogue.
Eric Bana begs the audience to forget "The Hulk" and "Troy" with his portrayal of Avner Kaufman, the family man sent to kill off the eleven terrorist plotters of Munich. While he doesn't succeed with every frame, he holds his own enough to carry a two-hour plus flick, which he couldn't do with the two aforementioned ones (granted, those two movies were hopeless from the getgo). Geoffrey Rush shows up too for his usual supporting-role-in-a-mature-and-important-flick shpeel, but the real kudos go to some little jew-fro guy whose name I just can't remember. Damn. Anyway, he plays the bomb technician of the assassin squad who struggles with the idea of losing his jewish identity by defending a jewish state. While he gets stuck with the same "oh, we're at THAT point in the emotional character arc" dialogue, his delivery is real enough to make one unsure whether they're happy or sad for him when his ultimate fate for the rest of the film is decided (no, that does not translate into any particular fate).

Back to the action winning over dialogue though -- through all his aliens, gay cyborg prostitutes, gay cyborg children, and dinosaurs, Steven Spielberg just may be the most deserving of recognition for his unflinching ability to show the awkward ugliness of murder. He did it in "Schindler's List," got an Oscar, did it in "Saving Private Ryan (which, like "Munich," suffered from overdone and lame dialogue)," got an Oscar, and now he's done it again -- we'll see about the Oscar, but it's the moments of silence and violence in this movie that give it its heart and soul.

It's not in the oh-so-important debate of Isreal vs. Palestine between Avner and his cordial opponent, it's in Avner's face as he carries an almost-friendly conversation with a young Arab who would kill him if he knew he were Isreali. It's in the moment where a young woman wanders to her cat for a touch of affection while she's spurting blood from her fresh bullet wound to the neck.

With Spielberg's ability to zone his actors (and gore) into nothing but an empty, lost vibe of a life about to end before it wants to, he may have it in him to make the most powerful action film ever, if only he's willing to hire a writer who has listened to real people talk before.

Alas, as mentioned, these terrible moments of murder drive his point home -- it's ugly, sad, and animalistic, no matter what the cause. While he may take a lot of crap for it, Spielberg's decision to end his film (or keep the ending) with a view of the World Trade Center is about the biggest move a jewish director of his stature could make. Without a hint of apology, Spielberg draws the attention to violent behavior itself, as opposed to letting anyone, be it Isreali, Middle Eastern, or American, get off with "well, hey, THEY started it."

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