The upcoming film September 5, which is being distributed by Paramount Pictures in limited release on November 29, details the true events of the 1972 Munich Olympics hostage crisis. The film follows a sports broadcasting crew who catches onto the hostage crisis as they aim to assist authorities by broadcasting the unfolding events on live TV. However, they soon realize the implications of showcasing this kind of footage to the public, and the crew must make decisions that could decide the fates of all the hostages.
While this is a new angle on the events of the Munich hostage crisis, the event has been translated multiple times into other media. The book Vengeance, written by George Jonas in 1984, followed a Mossad officer named Avner who was sent into Europe to assassinate members of Black September, the terrorist group responsible for the Munich crisis. Four years later, a TV movie titled Sword of Gideon aired in Canada, which loosely translated the events of the book to the screen.
Finally, that brings us to the Oscar-nominated Munich, directed by none other than Steven Spielberg. Munich is another adaptation of the George Jonas novel, once again detailing how a group of assassins were deployed into Europe with the singular goal of taking out terrorists and avenging the Israeli athletes and coaches. Munich has been called the least Spielberg-like film, but that did not stop it from receiving critical praise and being labeled as one of Spielberg’s most important films.
September 5, while being connected to the Spielberg film, is very much telling its own story. While many dramatizations of these events have been focused on the attempts to avenge the victims, this film will be thrusting the audience right into the middle of the situation, much like the TV broadcasts did all those years ago. September 5 is sure to keep audiences thrilled and terrified when it hits theaters later this month.
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