September 5

Its invariably disappointing when a movie youve been looking forward to seeing doesnt live up to expectations. But such is the case with the latest offering from writer-director Tim Fehlbaum. This re-creation of the day when Black September terrorists took members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage at the 1972 Munich Summer Games, sadly, misses the mark on many fronts. As told from the perspective of the ABC sportscasting crew covering the story, the film comes up short in conveying the sense of urgency and immediacy associated with this human tragedy, which was broadcast live around the globe and is said to have attracted more viewers than Neil Armstrongs 1969 moon landing. While the picture is to be commended for its apparent authenticit...

'September 5' is based upon a true story, one that I had somehow not really known about - despite being into sports, albeit not a big Olympics guy. The event in question did ring tiny bells in my head pre-watch, but oddly not as much as other Olympic events would have.

As such, I didn't actually know how this story was going to play out. That was actually very beneficial, as I was moving up and down with all the dramatic and disturbing developments. This film portrays its plot tremendously, they set the perfect vibe and pace throughout.

The acting is also of good quality. John Magaro is the one who impressed me most, though Peter Sarsgaard, Ben Chaplin and Leonie Benesch are also excellent. It's fascinating to see it all from the medi...

I worked in sports broadcasting for 30 years, including at the Olympics in Atlanta when a story of a similar nature to this one broke around the bombing in Centennial Park. Even though wed moved on a few decades since this scenario, there are still similarities that ring true between this representation of what might have happened in the studio gallery of ABC and what happened in 1996. They are off the air and everyone is getting some rest after a long day when news begins to filter through that there have been gunshots. The programme producer Geoff Mason (John Magaro) summons help from his boss Marv (Ben Chaplin) and from his boss Roone (Peter Sarsgaard). With information limited and their access to an interpreter even more so, they recrui...