Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by ToshiroofKreplachastan (R) on December 26, 2005 at 12:19:12

In Reply to: Sometimes an event is too close for perspective... even if it's decades old. posted by tinear on December 26, 2005 at 05:52:51:

Tin,

I have so many issues with this film (not of a political nature) that I saw it twice to make sure I wasn't hallucinating.

1. Spielberg's adaptation of "Vengeance" was very poor. He emphasizes certain things well - but then turns everything else into a Hollywood spectacle.

The killing of Wael Zwaiter was just wrong - based on the book, historical account in various texts, newspapers, etc...

There is no real explanation as to why the Mossad would kill a "poet" and I think that applied to a lot of the Fatah and Black September people assasinated.

Where's the beef?

I think the moral equivalency thing has been blown out of proportion by critics.

The scenes at the end where the Black September murderer butchers the last 5 athletes in the helicopter were very powerful and accurate. I would have walked out of the theater had Spielberg portrayed that any differently.

Spielberg also forgot (for some reason that only he can explain) to mention that the other team members had wives and even children. His portrayal of "Robert" the toy/bomb maker was really out there.

I also object to his two-dimensional portrayal of the Israelis. To suggest that the IDF brass were so cool and non-chalant about their decision to undertake the mission is fucking laughable.

The cost of sending a number of teams around Europe was enormous, not to mention, rather perilous for diplomatic reasons if they got caught - which one team did in Lillehammer, Norway.

A simplistic portrayal of a very complicated event that barely scratched the surface.

Tosh
"I think this place is restricted Wang, so don't tell em you're Jewish"