SEPTEMBER 5 -- A Gripping but Conventional Portrayal of a Historical Event

Review by Camden Ferrell

​The Munich massacre was a terrorist threat that occurred during the 1972 Olympics in Germany, their first time hosting since the fall of the Nazi Party, and it was an event that shocked the world. September 5 is a new movie from director Tim Fehlbaum that aims to relay the events of that day from the perspective of the broadcasting team in charge of reporting on this event. Having its premiere at the 2024 Venice Film Festival, this is a historical drama that is gripping more times than not despite feeling overly conventional in its execution.
 
The crew for ABC Sports went to work that day expecting another day of Olympics activities and festivities. However, nothing could prepare them for the terrorist attack and subsequent hostage situation that occurred in the same city, a situation they had the obligation of reporting on. It’s such a memorable global event, especially from a media perspective, so it’s an interesting prospect to get a glimpse into how these events were handled by this broadcasting team.
 
Despite being written by Fehlbaum, Moritz Binder, and Alex David, a team that has a relatively limited body of work in feature film writing, this script is tightly paced and serves as a great driving force behind the narrative. The dialogue was well-written, the narrative beats were steady and earned, and it gave the actors plenty of material to work with in their own unique ways. It was accessible enough for younger audiences who might not be aware of these events, but it also prevented itself from becoming overly expositional. 

While the writing is solid throughout, one must also acknowledge the wonderful efforts of the cast who brought it to life. Led by Peter Sarsgaard and John Magaro, they’re able to take the material and make it engaging to watch on screen. They seem to understand the stakes and convey that to the audience in tangible ways.  Leonie Benesch was also a delight to see in a supporting role especially after first being exposed to her in last year’s The Teachers’ Lounge.
 
Even though I have a lot of positive things to say about this movie, I do admit it feels super safe in its execution throughout. It doesn’t take any ballsy narrative swings or any kind of artistic risks. It plays out just as one would expect which makes this feel like an exceptional cable TV movie more than a possible awards contender this year.
 
September 5 will be a gripping watch regardless of the level of knowledge about the Munich massacres. Even knowing how it all ends, audiences will still feel engrossed by the engaging script and extremely talented actors. It gives you exactly what you expect, nothing more, nothing less. Whether or not that’s a good thing is up to you.
 
September 5 is in theaters January 17.
 
Rating: 4/5