by Rob Dunne

With his latest film, Spielberg has crafted a brilliant piece of work which this writer believes is a profound meditation on the impact of terrorism on humanity.

The Munich massacre of 11 Israeli athletes during the 1972 Olympics is the springboard for the story which follows. The basic narrative is a cat and mouse thriller in which an ultra-covert group of Israeli assassins is on a mission to systematically hunt down and kill 11 Palestinians connected with the Munich killings.

The suspense during the assassination set pieces is masterfully handled and the pacing is perfect as the story evolves and expands. Eric Bana plays the leader of the Israeli group and he is the main focus of the story. Bana's performance is amazing. He enters the mission driven by blind loyalty to a cause. However, his actions come with severe emotional and psychological consequences. He slowly becomes paranoid and morally bankrupt, no different than the terrorists he claims to despise.

Spielberg challenges his audience like never before. Along with wide critical acclaim for the film, Spielberg has received much criticism from both "sides" of the argument - he has been accused of being both a blatant Zionist and anti-Semitic in his portrayal of the conflict. This really goes to the heart of the matter. Spielberg is asking a fundamental question: is either side in the moral right when both sides are killing people?

The most immediate and obvious argument is that Israel is just reacting to the Palestinian attack. However, Spielberg pushes us to examine the issue on a much deeper level. He wants us to consider what it might be like to actually take a human life. Can any territorial "cause" be truly worth the life of a human being?

In the end, Spielberg does not present any definitive answers. Instead, he leaves us with an image that can be interpreted in a multitude of ways - offensive; poetic; ambiguous; compelling. One thing is certain, it will make you think. Ultimately, that seems to be Spielberg's objective. He wants us to reflect on the value of human life. Spielberg has called Munich his "prayer for peace". I, for one, say Amen.