When you look at technology today versus when I was a child, the changes have been amazing. From phones to video games, it has been awesome to watch, and one of the best examples is in broadcast news and television. If you look at the quality and technology of old newscasts from the ‘50s to the way they are presented today, it is night and day. And everything changed in the moments chronicled in September 5.
Tim Fehlbaum (The Colony) directs here with a cast that includes Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, Leonie Benesch, Georgina Rich, and Benjamin Walker. Taking place during the hostage crisis of the 1972 Munich Olympics, this is the story that takes place behind the scenes of ABC News as they work to bring balance to both the coverage of the games themselves to that of the live coverage of the hostage crisis itself. Since there is no real manual to how do deal with this type of situation (including technology limitations), it would become the first time there was live news coverage of a terrorist event.
I am going to be blunt: I truly loved this film! At ninety minutes long, the story is quickly paced and kept me pinned to my seat the entire time. There is no unnecessary filler material and keeps things moving in a way that I have not seen in years, which I think is because there were so many instances within the story where ABC News had to make split-second decisions that truly affected everything around the events they were covering. This film really showed how many times they had to adjust their equipment and go as far as to work behind the local authorities to show the live coverage, even showing the mistakes they made along the way. With the number of films telling these types of stories in the last few years, this one does it better than any film in that genre so far.
When it comes to the look and cinematography, they did it perfectly by using a style that felt like it was done at the time. This is smart because it really seemed to drop me right in the middle of things and making the use of actual news clips alongside the current film footage seamlessly kept me engaged. I also liked how it showed the politics between ABC’s managers and executives when it came to making the big decisions at the critical times for both events, often ending in disagreements and disputes to an extreme. The cast is good, with multiple supporting characters all doing exactly what was needed when it was needed. My only regret here is that so many people deserve accolades for this film, but only a couple will probably get recognized.
Plain and simple: I am having a hard time trying to find any major faults of September 5. Yes, it is not long and people will want to get their money’s worth, but once this thing starts, it is fast and impressive to the point where if you blink, you may miss something. Of course, this film gets my “coveted” full price at the theaters recommendation as well as my Bomb City Promise that will make my upcoming Top Ten favorite films of the year list.
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