I saw the DVD of Munich last night. The movie was so much better than I expected it to be. In point of fact, the movie was great.

The DVD version begins with an introduction by Spielberg himself. I enjoyed the intro but got to wondering why it was included. I've never seen anything like it before. My guess is that the movie upset so many people, the studio felt an introduction was necessary.

Since i was 3 years old in 1972, I didnt really know the story but it didnt take a great deal of historical knowledge to understand the point of the movie since it was the same theme I have talked about often: the cycle of violence.

This movie (and presumably the novel it was based on) questions the cycle of violence and whether retaliation for a wrong ever ends. I thought the movie was realistic and well done. In other words, it was very un-Hollywood. The topic of really killing people for retribution (as opposed to the phoney Rambo stuff) is not an uplifting one and I think Speilburg did a great job of capturing the mixed emotions involved. We get to "meet" the people before they are killed and wonder whether they were guilty, whether they really deserve to die.

I also liked how the protagonists watch retaliation events spawned by their own killings; it did a good job of showing the cycle in action.

Another highlight was pointing out that you just dont know who is doing what and to whom. The movie points this out when the protagonists are buying information and dont know who is selling it as well as when they learn the CIA is protecting their main target.

The issues at play in this movie are timeless ones which are quite relevant today. Israeli's and Arabs are still killing each other (some 20 years after the movie events) and our President is arguing for state-sponsored torture (when torture is what helped create the ruthlessness of Al Qaeda to begin with). A lot of people dont believe that trials work but is it better to kill people first?

The characters do a good job symbolizing the many of the viewpoints. I especially liked the guy who was willing to kill anyone who wasnt a Jew: "The only blood that maters is our blood." Other characters represent the voice of age/experience and of doubt. "Is this the right thing to do? What about a real trial?"

Munich raises a lot of questions. At least for those who are willing to ask them.