September 5th 1972 marks the date of a moment that will go down in human history as one of major significance. During the 1972 Olympics in Berlin, several Israeli Olympic athletes were taken hostage by the Palestinian paramilitary group Black September, and those hostages, as well as their captors, were eventually all killed as the situation came to a tragic resolution. September 5 takes a look at those events through the lens of the sports reporters and broadcasters at the ABC network who had been broadcasting the games to a worldwide audience.
The acting performances in September 5 are particularly striking, even if that shouldn't come as a surprise given the cast. Peter Sarsgaard, as always, brings an incredible sense of authority and gravitas to his role, with a subtle but always compelling performance as the conflicted ABC sports boss Roone Arledge. Leonie Benesch doesn't necessarily have the meatiest role in September 5, but makes the absolute most of every second on screen as the German translator Marianne Gebhardt, helping to frame the shame and sadness of Germany as a country trying to forge a brighter future from a dark past. Ben Chaplin and Zinedine Soualem provide further excellent support. However, the man of the hour is clearly John Magaro, for whom this is a career best to date and should serve as a breakout performance as a future leading man. Magaro is the beating heart of the whole film as Geoffrey Mason, the man in charge of the broadcast and ultimately what goes to air. Magaro's ability to convey the stress, intensity and conflict of the situation is truly captivating.
Most will be aware that September 5 has been released during the ongoing genocide of the Palestinian population. That is an important caveat, and although the film does its best to avoid weighing in on the political side of things, it's impossible to completely divorce the two. For example, see the range of reactions to Steven Spielberg's Munich from 2005, which deals with the same series of events at the Munich games, albeit with somewhat more creative license. Regardless of the audience's feelings on the actions of Black September, the film creates a fascinating narrative around what happens to journalistic responsibility and the weight of a crisis on the people at the sharp end of reporting.
The decision to take an apolitical approach to the crisis is both a huge attribute for September 5, but also works to its detriment. The script is sharp and well-written, and the anxiety created for the audience as events unfold is palpable. Unfortunately, it's probably a little detail-heavy, out of necessity, about the nature of 1970s broadcast television and the process and equipment involved. For some, that will be incredibly interesting. However, it does also make the film a little dry and technical in places which perhaps removes a little of the human drama from the situation. But without taking a particular stance beyond the tragedy of human lives being lost, it's a necessary approach towards the events that unfolded on that fateful day, but as a consequence that somewhat limits the story to an extent.
September 5 is a gripping, tense and exciting thriller. It takes an even-handed approach to a difficult subject matter and shines a light on an important, if not exactly bright spot in the history of broadcast television.
September 5 is available now.
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