By John Corrado

At the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, a group of Palestinian terrorists broke into the Olympic Village and kidnapped Israeli athletes, holding them hostage in a tense standoff.

Director Tim Fehlbaum’s September 5 is a movie about this hostage crisis, but somewhat indirectly; the film is based on the true story of the ABC Sports crew that was there to document the games, but ended up having the clearest view of the ongoing crisis, putting the responsibility on them to report what was happening to the world. Fehlbaum’s film is almost entirely told from their perspective.

The main players are executive Roone Alredge (Peter Sarsgaard), studio director Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro), and producer Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin). There’s also Marianne Gebhardt (Leonie Benesch), a young German translator who becomes pivotal in listening to local news and police scanners and translating the reports into English for her American compatriots.

From here, September 5 explores how this team of sports broadcasters shifted to reporting the breaking news as it unfolded, with their network being the only one with a camera inside the Olympic Village. The result is a tense film that seamlessly incorporates archival footage and is set almost entirely inside the ABC control rooms, which have been meticulously recreated onscreen. As the crisis unfolds outside, a debate rages within about how much of this is ethical to broadcast live, and what to do if violence breaks out while they are on the air.

The team is left trying to piece together accurate information about the ongoing crisis, while also racing to be first to broadcast updates. This dichotomy provides the backbone of September 5 as a journalistic thriller. The screenplay, co-written by Fehlbaum, Moritz Binder and Alex David, grapples with complex themes about what role the media potentially played in influencing how these events unfolded, and how much responsibility they have. They are in a constant back-and-forth with the network about how much to show, and even what words they can use to describe the hostage-takers; they are terrorists.

This event and its aftermath was covered quite thoroughly in Steven Spielberg’s excellent 2005 film Munich, and September 5 serves as somewhat of a companion piece, exploring the crisis from a different angle, so to speak. Fehlbaum’s film also draws obvious and chilling parallels to current events; it’s being released at a time when hostages from Israel are still being held by Hamas, after being kidnapped by the terrorist group during their horrific October 7th attacks.

This is very much an ensemble piece, with Sarsgaard, Magaro and Chaplin all getting their spotlight moments. In many ways, Benesch’s fictional Marianne also serves as the heart of the film. As the one German person in the room, she doesn’t want her country to be seen as responsible for the deaths of more Jewish people, with 1972 marking the first time Germany hosted the Olympics since Hitler was in power in 1936, with the games having been intended as a symbol of peace for the country.

It’s these little details that make September 5 nuanced and compelling, even as it barrels towards an outcome that many will already know. At just over ninety minutes, the film locks us in through its impeccable production design, editing, and performances. Fehlbaum manages to wring a good deal of tension and suspense out of what decisions the characters will make in any given moment, presenting a portrait that is as fascinating as it is tragic.

Film Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)

September 5 opens exclusively in theatres in limited release on December 13th, and will expand nationwide on January 17th, 2025. It’s being distributed in Canada by Paramount Pictures.