Last night i screened Munich at a PGA industry screening.

This film is extraordinary in so many ways. It's not of this time. It's not a 'tent pole' or an 'action movie' or a 'holiday movie' or an 'issue movie' - it's simply a film. It's deeply engaging... thoughtful...disturbing...and brave. And what is clear after watching it is that the images and questions raised by it won't go away quickly. A film about the conflict between the Jews and the Palestinians that doesn't take sides, or promote a particular ideology is hard to find. But Spielberg uses the events of the Munich Olympics and the retribution that follows as a parable for a larger series of questions about violence, revenge, and what in hindsight we can now recognize as a patter of ever escalating violence.

But don't let any of that scare you away. It's a meticulously crafted, boldly performed film that downplays the violence that is the drumbeat of the movie. In fact the pattern of the assassinations that drive the movie become quickly secondary, as the deteriorating inner-life of the characters draws emotional fire. Lynn Cohen's portrayal of Golda Meir is haunting... and I'm not sure why. I don't have any memories of her to compare to the performance, yet i can't quite get it out of my mind.

Without giving anything away, the film has a remarkable way to feel very much like a crafted period piece that is at the same time modern and necessary. Perhaps most importantly, Spielberg could well have chosen to rest on his laurels after Schindler's List (1993) - instead decides to take on a topic that will surely win him no fans within the deeply divided conflict between Palestine and Israel. For that alone - he deserves credit. But the film stands on its own merits - and no one who sees it will leave without something to say.