Where should I begin? The story is somewhat accurate about the actual events and consequences of the Black September attacks on Jewish athletes during the Munich Olympics. The only problem is that the storyline is very fast-paced and seems rushed at times. The movie basically consists of violent and disturbing scenes of Palestinians slaughtering Jews in their hotel rooms, followed by other Jews retaliating and killing Black September members in hideous ways.

The movie shows the anti-American sentiments of the time, which should be no surprise. The American government helped cover up for the Palestinian terrorists. The movie details how the CIA made a deal with the Black September terrorists - if they did not harm Americans, the CIA would keep them safe, which poised the Americans against the Jews. This seems hard to believe for many, although it is historically correct.

The movie is shot in a documentary style and presents itself as an artsy and independent film. But don’t be fooled; it has its glossy Hollywood moments and shows various sex scenes, which are uncensored. There seems no need for this, except that many believe you can’t win Oscars without showing skin.

The acting by up-and-coming Eric Bana was a little disappointing. I was hoping to see the flare of his “Troy” performance. What I got was a reserved and scared little boy who had no idea what he was doing. Bana is the main protagonist, yet he demonstrates no strong character. He sways from being a patriotic Jew, to feeling sorry for the Palestinians, and then reverting to a pro-Jewish attitude. His point of view is left hanging.

Steven Spielberg’s directing is superb, as always, with shaky camera movements giving the film a documentary feel. The action scenes are horribly violent and upsetting.

I would say that teens should see this movie (despite the graphic nudity and manslaughter that take up at least half of the film) because they will learn important facts about the relationship between Jews and Muslims that relate directly to current world issues. In other words, don’t watch the film for the sake of watching it. Watch it to understand its important political message.