'Munich' on DVD: Bringing Terror Home

Mathieu Kassovitz and Eric Bana play members of the team retaliating for the 1972 massacre in "Munich," now on DVD. (Karen Ballard - Universal Studios)

"Munich: Two-Disc Collector's Edition " (R; List price: $29.98)
Release Date: May 9

When "Munich" received an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture earlier this year, some Hollywood spectators expressed surprise. Even though the movie was directed by filmmaking titan Steven Spielberg and confronted a serious subject -- the aftermath of the attacks at the 1972 Olympic Games -- the drama never attracted much buzz or box office business. (Domestically, it brought in only $47 million, a low figure given the movie's $70 million budget.)

Still, despite the lack of "Brokeback Mountain"-level hype, "Munich" deserves to be seen. A compelling look at the consequences of terrorism and the need for vengeance that inevitably follows, it's a well-acted, suspenseful and thought-provoking work, one certainly worthy of that Best Picture nod.

Interestingly, Spielberg sounds somewhat defensive in his introduction to the movie, one of seven featurettes included with the collector's edition of "Munich." "This is not a documentary. It's not made to be a documentary," he says at one point during the four-minute segment. Later, he adds: "I am not attacking Israel with this film." Clearly he feels compelled to respond to criticisms -- both actual and anticipated -- but his comments make for a strange entry into the "Munich" experience, especially for viewers who have not yet seen it. My best advice? Skip that intro, go straight to the film and draw your own conclusions about what Spielberg wanted to convey.

Of course, if Spielberg wanted to fully explain himself, he could have recorded a commentary track. Alas, in keeping with a tradition on his DVDs, you won't find one here. The featurettes included on the collector's version but absent from the standard, single-disc release of "Munich," range from compelling to just plain dull. Does it add anything to our understanding of the film, for example, when Daniel Craig confesses that he likes playing flawed characters? Not really, though it does raise interesting questions about what he'll bring to the table when he assumes the role of James Bond. It's much more compelling to meet the project's unsung heroes, people like Guri Weinberg, who, disturbingly, plays the role of Moshe Weinberg, an Israeli coach killed during the Black September massacre and a man who happened to be the actor's father.

The addition of a few deleted scenes or a commentary track by author George Jonas -- whose book, "Vengeance," provided much of the inspiration for Tony Kushner's screenplay -- could have made "Munich" a more memorable DVD. Instead, the power of the film itself remains this collector's edition's strongest selling point.

Best Bonus Point: "Munich: Portrait of an Era" examines how the filmmakers created the strong sense of time and place that defines the film. Hopscotching from location scouting to costume design to the color palette selected by cinematographer Janusz Kaminski, this is the most worthwhile extra feature for film-school geeks.

Also on DVD This Week: "The New World" and more.

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