1 of 5 | John Magaro plays ABC Sports producer Geoff Mason in "September 5," in theaters Dec. 13. Photo courtesy of Paramount Pictures
LOS ANGELES, Dec. 11 (UPI) -- September 5, in theaters Friday, takes a specific, internal approach to the 1972 kidnapping of Israeli Olympic competitors. The film showcases the efforts of the ABC Sports news crew, while still doing justice to the tragedy.
Producer Geoff Mason (John Magaro) is running the ABC control room at the Munich Olympics. ABC Sports executive Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard) is calling the shots above him, with operations engineer Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplin) helping troubleshoot.
In 1972, ABC was the only network broadcasting live from the Olympics. So when Black September took Israeli athletes hostage, ABC Sports broadcast the crisis live.
Mason, Arledge and Bader make quick decisions to adapt their coverage to the events unfolding outside the stadiums. This includes studying the plans for the hotel at which the Israelis are being held and moving heavy studio cameras outside to get a shot of that building.
September 5 showcases people being good at their jobs and doing them thoughtfully. No one at ABC is just going through the motions.
Since ABC was only accredited for sports coverage, it has to negotiate with other networks for space at the scene. To get film in and out of the police barrier, the network has to smuggle it via a crew member disguised as an athlete, complete with a fake badge.
Such tactics show ingenuity and perhaps raise ethical questions. The characters give considerable thought to ethics, too.
How to refer to the hostage-takers becomes a major dilemma. German news calls them terrorists, but ABC brass cautions that terrorist is too charged a word.
Black September threatens to execute a hostage every hour until its demands are met, so coworkers confront Arledge with the possibility they might broadcast murder on live television. The possibility that is Black September's ultimate goal is also raised, so would ABC be enabling them?
Whatever decisions Arledge makes, he does not make them lightly. He also has to combat his own network, as ABC News wants to take over the story. Arledge fights to keep his team on the beat because it happened on its turf.
The ABC Sports team demonstrates skill before the hostage crisis just in capturing the Olympics. For example, German grips need to be handled diplomatically to get the equipment ABC needs.
The film also sets the scene in Munich before the events unfold. Nearly three decades after the Holocaust, many characters vocalize reticence to forgive Germany.
German interpreter Marianne Gebhardt (Leonie Benesch), who seems to be a composite character, counters that her generation is not her parents'. She also becomes vital as the only German speaker in the room who can translate radio updates.
Gebhardt also faces sexism from her own male crew, who also dismiss the female hostage negotiator. This feels like an accurate reflection on resistance to women in the workforce in the '70s, and Gebhardt proves herself without being heavy handed.
The day of September 5, 1972 brings decision after decision for the ABC Sports crew, and its members have to anticipate what could happen next so they are ready to cover it.
They make mistakes, too - one major one as viewers in 1972 will remember they prematurely announced the rescue of hostages. They give the same attention to how they will handle their own misstep.
Even if one knows the story of the Munich Olympics, the issue of live coverage is compelling and fascinating. The film highlights the value of journalism and the great responsibility entrusted to those with access to such volatile events.
Fred Topel, who attended film school at Ithaca College, is a UPI entertainment writer based in Los Angeles. He has been a professional film critic since 1999, a Rotten Tomatoes critic since 2001, and a member of the Television Critics Association since 2012 and the Critics Choice Association since 2023. Read more of his work in Entertainment.
