September 5

The 1972 murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics was covered by Kevin Macdonald’s documentary One Day in September and Steven Spielberg’s drama Munich. That tragedy is examined from a whole different perspective in September 5, a movie filled with white-knuckle tension. In 95 super-taut minutes, it tells the story through the eyes of the ABC Sports team that suddenly found itself covering a worldwide news occurrence.

The day starts off normally for head honcho Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard) and his crew. Then come reports of what sound like gunshots emanating from inside the Olympic village. As it becomes clearer that a hostage situation is taking place, producer Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro) comes up with the idea to push one of the cameras outside so they can get a nice, tight angle on the building where the ordeal is unfolding. Arledge, meanwhile, has to fight with the news department for the right to cover the story.

Suspense is generated from depicting how the sports crew scrambles to react appropriately to a potentially deadly situation. Unable to speak German, they recruit a local crew member (The Teachers’ Lounge’s Leonie Benesch) to translate police transmissions and press conferences. Arledge engages in tense negotiations with a rival network to maintain access to a shared satellite. Staffers attempt to get as close to the action as possible after the village is closed off. Because this is a sports crew untrained in covering an event of such magnitude, everything is done on the fly. They’re constantly meeting each new development with an impromptu response.

That’s physically thrilling to watch, especially since director Tim Fehlbaum takes efforts to convey the nitty-gritty of broadcasting. The movie goes into meticulous detail, showing photographers rushing to develop film footage, graphic designers hurrying to get captions up on the screen, control room employees frantically pushing buttons to change camera angles, and so on. These vital snippets are seamlessly integrated with real footage from the ABC Sports broadcast, giving the movie a sense of authenticity that keeps you on edge.

September 5’s screenplay has excitement of a more cerebral nature, too. Arledge, Mason, and operations manager Marvin Bader (Ben Chaplain) continually debate the ethics of covering the escalating crisis. What happens if one of the captors executes a hostage on live TV? Is their reporting being viewed by the terrorists, and if so, do they have a moral obligation to stop? Issues like that add to the tension because major decisions need to be made with very little time for the characters to think them through.

Performances in the film are excellent across the board, with each actor effectively capturing what it’s like for their character to be in crisis mode. But they’re also all natural. You can’t choose a standout because the entire cast is working collectively to give the story its impact. This is a great example of the magic a first-rate ensemble can produce.

September 5 is about a specific historical event. It also speaks to the current state of news media. As acts of terrorism - both foreign and domestic - increase, ethical and unbiased reporting will be more important than ever. The ABC Sports team got it right when it counted. Will others do the same in the future? You’ll be pondering that question long after the movie is done fraying your nerves.


out of four

September 5 is rated R for language. The running time is 1 hour and 35 minutes.


© 2024 Mike McGranaghan