'Munich' may be the least Spielbergian Spielberg movie ever

Eric Bana and Geoffrey Rush in Munich

When I first saw Munich 11 years ago I was struck then by how unlike most other Steven Spielberg movies it was. It was to be sure as impeccably crafted as the director's best work, but it lacked the elements he is most often criticized for -- a penchant for sappy sentimentality and happy endings.

Munich, which explores Israel's covert attempts to exact retribution for the terrorist kidnapping and murder of members of their 1972 Olympic team, may be the bleakest, darkest film he's ever made -- including Schindler's List.

It is certainly the most morally ambiguous movie he's ever made and the fact that it ends with sort of a whimper instead of a bang may account for its rather mediocre performance at the box office, although it did earn Best Picture and Best Director Oscar nods.

It's an overlong film, with long, quiet contemplative stretches that require more patience than the usual corkscrew Spielberg thriller. And one decision late in the film -- to juxtapose an intimate sex scene with an orgy of violence -- may go down as one of the director's oddest choices. But still, I think Munich holds up as a largely a rewarding viewing experience.

In some ways it shouldn't be. Eric Bana gives a nice, capable performance in the lead, but he is not a particularly dynamic presence so (unlike Tom Hanks in Bridge of Spies) he's not much of an audience surrogate.

The rest of the cast (save for a breakout Daniel Craig in a small, but pivotal role) largely disappear into their roles of soft spoken foot soldiers.

The labyrinthine plot also keeps you guessing -- is Bana's team of assassin's being manipulated by good or evil forces, and in a mission as inherently brutal and illegal as this (they operate off the grid, killing men they are told helped plot the terrorist attack), is anyone operating on the level?

Yet despite the confusion and occasional slow pace, the film works. Part of this is thanks to Spielberg's incredible attention to detail. This is one of the best period '70s films I've ever seen. The costuming is one thing, but this movie gets everything from license plates to movie posters next to a marquee spot on.

You get a visceral feeling for time and place from the very beginning that immerses you in a world of clandestine paranoia. The film's highly literate script also continues to raise questions about the motivations and efficacy of the 'heroes' mission. It's the rare film on a politically-charged subject which doesn't take sides and doesn't suffer for it.

Spielberg's films are often violent, but few of them have the sting this one does. You feel almost every death in this film, particularly the killing of a female assassin later in the film which is handled more graphically than one might expect in a film from this director.

I felt Munich was trying to get at something akin to the futility of not just the Israeli-Palestinian conflict but war itself. Bana's character's world is shattered by the end of the film and he can't even be sure if what he did was for the greater good or not. Hopelessness is hard note to end a film on, which is why Munich is such a tricky balancing act.

It may not be Spielberg's best films, but it is certainly one of his most interesting.