September 5: Review

13th December 2024

September 5: Review. By Daniel Rester.

I have worked a number of different day jobs during my time of reviewing movies. One of those was as a director of newscasts for a local ABC television station. A few years ago, a fire quickly spread and burned down much of a nearby town in my community. The rest of the news team and I worked for many hours to cover the event in order to keep people informed so they could avoid the fire.

The film September 5 brought memories of that unpredictable fire back to me. The film explores how news teams try to keep composure and stay professional while covering chaotic stories. The go-go-go movements and choices in a news booth during intense live events are presented in authentic ways in director Tim Fehlbaum’s film.

The event the news team covers in September 5 is the real-life 1972 Munich massacre, when a Palestinian militant group took Israeli Olympic team members hostage. The plot mostly unfolds inside of the news station near the Olympic Village. Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard) and his team are used to just covering sports, but they must step up to the plate once the hostage situation unfolds.

John Magaro turns in a terrific performance as Geoffrey Mason, who directs the live broadcasts. He is completely convincing as the character from beginning to end. Also strong is Leonie Benesch as Marianne, a German employee who helps Mason and Arledge with language translations. Sarsgaard and Ben Chaplin are fine as the higher-ups in the station, but it’s Magaro and Benesch who stand out the most among the cast.

Fehlbaum co-wrote the film with Alex David and Moritz Binder. The script is mostly tight and focused throughout, with believable dialogue and characters. The filmmakers fail to bring much insight or nuance from the Palestinian and Israeli figures, but that can be forgiven due to the structure of the story being contained in the newsroom. The film is less interested in the politics of the hostage situation than in the processes of the news team. That might be for the better because when the film does occasionally pause for political views they tend to feel forced.

The material is brought to life in an energetic way akin to the style of Paul Greengrass – but with less shaky camerawork. Fehlbaum makes the audience feel like they are standing alongside the news crew as cinematographer Markus Förderer moves with the characters’ actions (so many phone answers and hang ups!). Editor Hansjörg Weißbrich mostly manages to bring coherence to the many fast-paced sequences. I do wish transitional shots or clocks were used a bit more though to show the passage of time as some of the scenes push the plot forward in a jarring manner.

As a dissection of the Munich massacre and its motivations and consequences, September 5 is thin. But as a journalism thriller that shows the event unfold from a certain perspective, it is effective. Whether covering fires or hostage situations, news crews are essential for informing the public. September 5 captures their responsibilities in a riveting and credible manner.

Rating: 7.7/10

Facebook

Google

Twitter

We hope you're enjoying BRWC. You should check us out on our social channels, subscribe to our newsletter, and tell your friends. BRWC is short for battleroyalewithcheese.