By Keith Walther | Rose Law Group Reporter
As antisemitism continues to permeate the modern world, this movie serves as a reminder of the atrocities hate can bring. “September 5” is based on the tragic true story of the hostage event that took place at the Munich Olympics in 1972. This unnerving film provides the unique perspective of ABC’s coverage of that fateful day.
The 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany was supposed to be an event to help repair Germany’s image from the World War II atrocities, but that is not how fate would have it. On September 5, Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro) thought he was going to a typical day of work at the ABC control room as a producer for coverage of the games. When terrorists stormed the Olympic Village, taking nine members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage, Mason quickly realized his responsibility had shifted to cover this terrifying, developing situation for the world.
Mason, with guidance from the President of ABC Sports Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard) and ABC’s VP of Olympic Operations Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), quickly repurposed his team and the equipment to capture the tragic event on live TV. Unsure of what horrible results could play out in front of the world, not to mention if the terrorists were also watching their broadcast to gather information, the broadcasters are confronted with moral dilemmas regarding their coverage that has the potential to impact the outcome.
Tim Fehlbaum directs this riveting and uniquely told perspective of the horrifying true event that captured the world’s attention in unblinking terror. Born in Switzerland, Fehlbaum has not had much success as a filmmaker, but he finds his potential with “September 5,” creating a suspensefully informative movie that grips the audience in a tight embrace from start to finish. He successfully harnesses the tension by choosing to have the entire film cover a 24-hour time period, going from zero to 60 miles per hour in a blink once the hostage situation begins.
Fehlbaum utilizes his cinematography background to enhance the claustrophobic style of suspense. He employs handheld cameras, zooming in at opportune times that accentuate the stress and urgency of the moment. To capture the realism of 1972, vintage lenses are incorporated to give the production that grainy 70’s film look. To top it off, the Swiss director uses a heavy amount of actual archived footage from ABC’s coverage throughout the film, lending that extra weight of authenticity. In fact, the real footage of Jim McKay, who anchored at the time, is repeatedly used throughout the movie.
With the film’s perspective coming from the TV journalistic side, it’s of paramount importance for the entire cast to deliver authentic performances that make the dialogue driven film resonate, and that’s exactly what they provide. John Magaro (“Past Lives”) shows he’s up to the task of being the focal point as the young producer looking to prove himself, tenaciously pursuing this developing story and taking questionable risks for the sake of being the first to break updates. Ben Chaplin (“The Thin Red Line”) provides that passionate countermeasure to Magaro’s zeal, voicing caution and being the moral compass of the broadcasting team. The diversely talented cast is anchored by Peter Sarsgaard, whose commanding presence settles the frenetic atmosphere, offering that authoritarian reassurance on the important choices being made in the control room.
“September 5” has attested itself to be one of the top films of 2024, with its unflappable determination to tell this story in the most authentic way possible while still capturing the nail biting, stress inducing suspense of a thriller. Like “She Said,” “The Post,” and “Spotlight” before it, this is another triumph of journalistic investigations. Find this one in the theater, which gets a wider release this weekend, and then follow it up by watching 2005’s “Munich,” the Oscar nominated film that shows the aftermath and vengeful response to the same 1972 terrorist attack.
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