Rent September 5 (2024)

Tense Thriller - September 5 review by GI

A taut, smart and tense thriller that recounts the coverage of the 1972 Munich Olympic tragedy by the American ABC Sports news team who were suddenly faced with this internationally important news event happening in fast time right before their eyes. The film captures the speed at which the events unfolded and the decisions made in the team to get the story covered including negotiating the satellite time allocated and the sudden realisation that the terrorists maybe watching the live broadcast they are sending out including the police preparations to raid the rooms where Black September terrorists were holding members of the Israeli Olympic team hostage. It cleverly utilises real footage with recreated scenes to great effect. The film deals with issues of national animosities, misogyny and the moral dilemmas faced by the journalists over what to show on TV. Historically it's a really interesting docudrama and a reminder of this horrific terrorist crime that shocked the world. The cast are exceptional including Peter Sarsgaard, Ben Chaplin and especially John Magaro as the ABC studio manager and Leonie Benesch who plays a fictitious German assistant who faces the antipathy of colleagues over the German guilt of the Holocaust. One of the best films about journalism for awhile.