”September 5” is a docudrama that retells the harrowing events that took place at the 1972 Summer Olympics from the perspective of the newsroom.
The glitzy, highly rated Olympic Games, whether they be Summer or Winter for that matter, tend to be larger-than-life experiences that capture the attention of the world in record numbers. In fact, Three billion viewers during any said time worldwide!
I think I probably prefer the Summer Games, as I am glued to the volleyball and swimming for the most part, but as long as I am stuck in a warm cabin with a blazing fireplace and a sauna, I may be equally open to watching the Winter Games as well. Heck, why not?
September 5, which is in fact a true story taking place during the 1972 Summer Games in Munich, Germany follows a bunch of skilled ABC reporters following the games when the broadcast team is watching as Israeli athletes are held hostage by a dangerous, masked terrorist group.
Sounds like a work of fiction, right? How could something so absurd and outlandish take place within the governed Olympic compounds? Well…it did indeed. You can’t write something as frightening as this.
Starring Ben Chaplin (“The Truth About Cats & Dogs”) as Marvin Bader, a manager of sorts, overlooking the televised production of the Games and the unexpected crisis. Not for nothing but the everyday actor just won the Best Actor Award at the Denver Film Festival. Peter Sarsgaard (“Boy’s Don’t Cry”) is Roone Arledge, overlooking the entire production and putting his neck on the line if it fails.
Docudrama, “September 5,” although told before in various iterations, is no doubt a new version nominated for numerous AARP film festival awards including Best Film for Grown-ups, Best Time-capsule award, and not for nothing, but a Best Picture nominee (drama) at the Golden Globes. Talk about some impressive clout! “September 5” was informative, scary, and important to our world’s history books — as long as they are not banned!
I don’t know if it counts for anything substantial, but I didn’t doze off for a single second of this period drama. The fact that it was all real and actually took place shook me the most, in the same way that the current administration is doing today.
September 5 is an adult tale, if you are from the era of the catchy Mamas & the Papas musical group then you may want to pay close attention to this historical tale, or if you perhaps have a pulse and care to know about the past in order to pave a more informed road ahead of you…
“September 5,” starring: Ben Chaplin, Peter Sarsgaard
Christopher’s “Meow” Score: “7.5” paws out of 10.
