September 5

 

This review may contain spoilers!

September 5 is a biopic that documents the 1972 Munich Olympic Games and the hostage situation that transpired through the eyes of the ABC network team that broadcast it all. 

I really admired the way this biopic presented itself in terms of storytelling. This is a very matter-of-fact feature in how it presents the historical event, there is an almost clinical and methodical approach to conveying the audience information. By taking us through the perspective of the ABC journalists on the ground attempting to capture the event, we gained and developed the knowledge ourselves. The urgency of the unfolding situation came from wanting to know more, to stay ahead of the story or move with the story. It felt surreal because this is a sports news team previously not equipped to deal with 'breaking news' but entirely pivoting and committing to the situation within the moment. I greatly admired the reflection upon the actions of the news team here, it showed the resourcefulness on hand alongside the moments of error. It was a narrative presentation style that worked to keep information delivery engaging and gripping.

Peter Sarsgaard, who played Roone Arledge, really grabs the focus of an entire scene if he so needs it; Sarsgaard crafts a leader here who is entirely passionate about what they are trying to achieve and keeping the story with his team. John Magaro, who played Geoffrey Mason, is a surprisingly solid lead in this; Magaro commands with a frantic but sure-handed energy which fits his newsroom lead perfectly. Leonie Benesch, who played Marianne Gebhardt, is definitely the emotional weight of the feature; Benesch portraying the struggle of a woman in the industry trying to be taken seriously while also being the sole translator for the team is fascinating.

However, the best performance came from Ben Chaplin, who played Marvin Bader. This is a role that often feels like the conscience of the feature, Chaplin's tirades are all caught up in journalistic integrity and what the moral onus is in the situation. Bader really runs close to the top here and Chaplin marks this through a very commanding presence, someone who can be very curt and direct. The scene in which Chaplin really goes to task over whether they have confirmation around the status of the hostages is an inspired moment of acting. This is a very fast-paced role, the delivery is quick and it is often biting. I really enjoyed Chaplin here, he was in good form.

This film presents the story well, but that doesn't mean it isn't missing elements that would have improved it. I wasn't very emotionally stimulated by this feature, in fact, emotional stakes leave this movie feeling a bit dry at times. The film could have implemented a perspective closer to the action of the Olympic Village hostage situation or even taken us inside the hostage room itself, just to find an easy empathetic link. However, this film is more focused on the press, but it's foolish to think we couldn't have allowed for some more emotionally charged scenes to really ramp matters up. I also found there seemed to be a slight bias towards a more modern theme and conflict with this film and how it was told that I didn't really appreciate as a viewer.

The way this film is shot feels like it was starved for an aesthetic angle. Most of the movie covers a newsroom full of monitors and hallway conversations, making the entire feature look very plain. It is also quite dark and devoid of anything interesting in terms of colour palette. The editing moves at a sluggish pace, which is really surprising given just how short this film runs. The score is really barely a player in the movie, with no great musical accompaniment to set the tone. The fact the soundtrack awkwardly shoved 'Fortunate Son' in there feels insane given the wider context of the film.

Zinedine Soualem, who played Jacques Lesgards, is quite a quiet player in the main ensemble; Soualem's character has a unique perspective like Benesch's but there's no room really given to play with that here. Daniel Adeosun, who played Gary Slaughter, is an ensemble player who moves very swiftly into the background; Adeosun is here in a physical presence capacity and less an acting one.

This is an extremely well-detailed and thorough depiction of the ABC network team that captured the hostage situation at the 1972 Olympic Games. I would give September 5 a 6/10.