43/50

I had the privilege of seeing this excellent film at the AFI Film Festival

Chronology

During the 1972 Munich Olympics, an American sportscast team was assigned to cover the hostage-taking of Israeli athletes.

Set in the ABC control room during the 1972 Munich Olympics, the film realistically depicts both the routine aspects of running the control room during the event and, of course, the tragic attacks on Israeli athletes by Black September

In the control room are ABC Sports President Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard), Junior Producer Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro), Vice President of Olympics Coverage Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin), and German translator Marianne Gebhardt (Leonie Benesch), all playing their parts brilliantly.

However, the key aspect of any thriller is the screenplay and direction by Tim Fehlbaum, who keeps you on your toes throughout the film

The film also shows exactly how technology considered state-of-the-art at the time seems laughably primitive today (giant VCRs, competition for satellite space, manual insertion of graphics, etc.).

The realism is further enhanced by the use of archive footage of Jim McKay’s account of the tragedy

My only minor criticism is the casting of Benjamin Walker as Peter Jennings – he doesn’t seem quite right for the handsome and urbane presenter I remember (I would probably have dropped him and relied solely on the tape of Jennings speaking from the Olympic Village).

But these criticisms don’t stop me from highly recommending this excellent film – you have to see it!

https://abonnementiptv-pro.com/2024/11/16/pimpinero-blood-and-oil-2024-magnet-link/