September 5

Grade: B+

September 5 is one of those movies where the events take place in real time, or very close to it. We don’t know any more than the characters do. We are all finding out together. It’s not a traditional historical drama, it’s more like a snapshot. For this reason, you don’t need to have done any research or homework. If you’re old enough to remember the incident at the Munich Olympics on September 5, 1972, that’s fine. If not, and you’re coming in cold, that’s at least as good.

We meet the ABC sports team. Producer Geoffrey Mason is the person we see the most, often carrying on multiple conversations simultaneously. He could be communicating with the anchor(s) via headset while on a telephone call, AND talking to someone in the other room through a walkie talkie. Not to mention the juggling of coffee and cigarettes. Very important. And this crew is tough as nails, enough to intimidate some police who come into the studio. The officers have guns and other weapons; the ABC folks just have words – yet they effectively run these authority figures out of there, in one of my favorite moments.

This is one of the best ensembles of the past year, headed up by John Magaro (as Mason), who I’ve seen more than I realized. I didn’t put two and two together that he played Greta Lee’s American husband in Past Lives. I also saw him in Showing Up, The Big Short, Carol, and Captain Phillips. He is a powerhouse presence, and I love the sound quality of his speaking voice. My vocal infatuation carries on to Ben Chaplin – the British actor best known as the leading man opposite Uma Thurman and Janeane Garofalo in The Truth About Cats & Dogs – sounding convincingly American. We also have Leonie Benesch from The Teachers’ Lounge, Georgina Rich from Soundproof, and Peter Sarsgaard from many things.

Characters in movies like this often make me wonder if they care at all about the weight and tragedy of the event they’re covering, or if they are just in it from the journalistic standpoint. They can come across as cold and shallow when they seem preoccupied with getting that perfect shot/scoop/what have you. However, September 5 is a fairly exciting snapshot, with a rhythm, energy, and momentum that smoothly brings us through its 95 minutes. I just realized I never really told you what happened on that day. If you’re planning on seeing this, and I think you should, don’t worry about not having much information. None of these people did.

Grade: B+