Jeri Jacquin
Currently streaming on Prime from director Tim Fehlbaum and Paramount Pictures comes the true moments of terror on SEPTEMBER 5.
It is Munich, Germany and the 1972 Summer Olympics covered by ABC Sports and Mark Spitz wins his gold in swimming. Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin) is the head of operations and is overseen by the president of ABC Sports Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard) who knows just how to spin the win. As the crew continues their work, translator Marianne Gebhardt (Leonie Benesch) and Jacques Lesgards (Zinedine Soualmen) hear startling sound coming from the Olympic village.
Back in the control room, Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro) receives a call asking if there is anything going on outside. The look on the faces of Marianne and Jacques when he asks about it, lets him know the answer. A terror attack has taken place as Israeli athletes are taken hostage by a group called Black September and they want Palestinian prisoners released in exchange. Arledge decides to take over the sports spot to bring in live what is happening. It is the creativity of the crew that gets the shots and listens in on what is being planned and conveyed to the public by sports anchor Jim McKay and Peter Jennings.
Negotiations are being handled by the Germany government but it seems as if everything is being handled haphazardly. The police even raid the station demanding that they cut off all feed but it doesn’t stop the crew as everything moves quickly and the world is stopping to watch it all unfold. When the terrorists demand to be flown away with the hostages, Mason sends Marianne to the military airfield with a camera crew to cover the event.
What happens next changes the court of Olympic history forever!
Magaro as Mason is put in a position of keeping the crew focused on bringing the story and making tough decisions. From the beginning of the attack to the end, Margaro’s character has immediately gone from covering sports to an event that changes the world. Taking his ques from Arledge, every moment brings in a new way to get the news out and Mason makes it happen. I was absolutely riveted by Magaro’s performance to the point where I forgot I was watching a film!
Sarsgaard as Arledge also sees the need for the crew already in place to cover the story. He continues to tell everyone that they need to “follow the story” and his push brings so much importance to what they bring together. Sarsgaard’s character is a fighter behind the scenes by refusing to release the story to those on the other side of the world. I loved that fight because, if nothing else, Arledge was right and Sarsgaard is totally believable.
Chaplin as Bader is a man who is unsure of how to handle the coverage of this unusual event. He is cautious and worries how it will be portrayed and the effect of what they are doing. Chaplin gives his character the conscience on the shoulder of the control room and attempts to keep it on the right track. Benesch as Marianna is a young woman who quietly does her work until the moment comes when her voice needs to be heard. She translates for the crew and helps them keep the most up-to-date information available. Benesch is a strong presence and brings her character to the front without pushing her way in. Marianna has something important to contribute and Benesch is stellar.
Other cast includes Georgina Rich as Gladys Deist, Corey Johnson as Hank Hanson, Marcus Rutherford as Carter Jeffrey, Daniel Adeosun as Gary Slaughter, Benjamin Walker as Peter Jennings, and Rony Herman as David Berger.
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SEPTEMBER 5 won Best Editing for Hansjorg Weilbbrich from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association and the Independent Spirit Awards, and AARP Movies for Grownups Award gave Peter Sarsgaard an award for Best Supporting Actor.
First of all, let me say that this film should win whatever is out there for ensemble cast because they are stunning together. There is not a character that pulls focus from the film and that made the film more intriguing to watch. Entirely in unison and in movement, SEPTEMBER 5 wraps us all around the story not allowing for a moment of rest. It is compelling on so many levels of emotional and jaw-dropping moments that compelling seems too small a word.
Using broadcast footage and a control room of the era brings authenticity which, once again, makes the film so believable and is all done to capture our attention. Written to captivate, Moritz Binder, Tim Fehlbaum and Alex Davis have brought a complexity to a story that changed the way we came to see the world and the media to this day.
In the end – the world sees the terror unfold!
