During the Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, 1972, games that had been named “The Olympics of Peace and Joy,” a Palestinian terrorist group known as Black September took eleven Israeli athletes hostage and brutally murdered them. The situation played out on television before 900 million viewers.

Spielberg's film opens with a haunting re-enactment of these events before following the secret aftermath: a group of 4 Israelis were charged with assassinating all of the men involved in planning the Munich attack. They hoped to strike fear into the hearts of all terrorists who threatened Israel.

Eric Bana gives an outstanding performance as Avner, the leader of this assassination squad. He's approached by a Mossad Officer, Ephraim (Geoffrey Rush), who charges him with this mission. To fulfill it, Avner must leave behind his pregnant wife and family, and in fact cease to exist as he hunts down the 11 men responsible. But as he and his team continue their journeys, they become increasingly plagued by their own doubts over what they're trying to do, and take further risks as they themselves move from hunters to hunted.

In creating a surprisingly unbiased film, Spielberg has left himself open to criticism from both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian debate. But, in truth, he draws the same conclusion as many, which one of the characters states clearly during the film: “There can be no peace at the end of this.” Although repetitive in places, and far longer than it needs to be, Munich does effectively demonstrate the endless cycle of retribution that continues to plague the Middle East today. An early scene in the film, taking place shortly after the Olympic tragedy, has Prime Minister Golda Meir stating that every nation must compromise its values in order to defend them. But at what cost? If defending values means betraying them, then is it worth it?

Avner wrestles with these issues himself throughout the film, as do several other characters. Munich explores both sides of the issue, from the brash South African Steve's (Daniel Craig) excitement to avenge the death of the Israeli athletes to Belgian explosives expert Robert (Mathieu Kassovitz) feeling as though he's sacrificing his soul. Producer Kathleen Kennedy explains that this was the appeal in making the film, “It's an event that sheds light on a lot of current events and it allows us to step back and ask what happened 33 years ago and what did we learn from it?”

Mostly, Munich focuses on how this mission affected those charged with carrying it out. Around these emotional issues, Spielberg constructs an exciting, suspenseful thriller. Although it does get slow in places, and could benefit from some tighter editing, it explores historical themes that still resonate in the world today. Many may criticize Spielberg for not taking sides in this important issue, but considering his history it's impossible not to know of the director's love for Israel. And he does leave us with Avner's mother reminding him why Israel had to be created: “We had to take it because no one would ever give it to us. Whatever it took, whatever it takes, we have a place on earth at last.”