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On September 5, 1972, during the Summer Olympics, a Palestinian terrorist group called Black September infiltrated the Olympic village and took the Israeli Olympic team hostage. This film follows the ABC Sports crew that found themselves in the middle of it all, and ended up covering the events by putting the camera in the right place, and following the story as it unfolded.
September 5 Best Original Screenplay nomination might have been the main reason why I checked it out. However, the real life events are notorious and have been successfully dramatized before in Munich so I knew it would be a compelling watch. It is one of those films where you already know the outcome, so I commend director Tim Fehlbaum and his writers for managing to still deliver the tension.
The main thing that I think makes it work is the decision to focus solely on the ABC Sports crew, their relationships and dynamics, and never really going "outside" to the "real event". Since the focus is on how the crew handles the news, we see things unfold more or less in the same way as they come, which adds a certain authenticity to it.
A big reason why that approach works is, again, the script but also the great performances from tried and true actors like Peter Sarsgaard and Ben Chaplin, as well as others I wasn't that familiar with like John Magaro and Leonie Benesch; all portraying different members of the news crew. With weaker actors or a weaker script, I don't think a story as contained as this would've worked at all, but it did and I definitely recommend it.
Grade:
SEPTEMBER 5
(2024, Fehlbaum)
(2024, Fehlbaum)
"Our job is really straightforward. We put the camera in the right place, and we follow the story as it unfolds in real time. News can tell us what it all meant after it's over. And I'm sure they're gonna try. But this is our story. And we're keeping it."
On September 5, 1972, during the Summer Olympics, a Palestinian terrorist group called Black September infiltrated the Olympic village and took the Israeli Olympic team hostage. This film follows the ABC Sports crew that found themselves in the middle of it all, and ended up covering the events by putting the camera in the right place, and following the story as it unfolded.
September 5 Best Original Screenplay nomination might have been the main reason why I checked it out. However, the real life events are notorious and have been successfully dramatized before in Munich so I knew it would be a compelling watch. It is one of those films where you already know the outcome, so I commend director Tim Fehlbaum and his writers for managing to still deliver the tension.
The main thing that I think makes it work is the decision to focus solely on the ABC Sports crew, their relationships and dynamics, and never really going "outside" to the "real event". Since the focus is on how the crew handles the news, we see things unfold more or less in the same way as they come, which adds a certain authenticity to it.
A big reason why that approach works is, again, the script but also the great performances from tried and true actors like Peter Sarsgaard and Ben Chaplin, as well as others I wasn't that familiar with like John Magaro and Leonie Benesch; all portraying different members of the news crew. With weaker actors or a weaker script, I don't think a story as contained as this would've worked at all, but it did and I definitely recommend it.
Grade: