In Israel, the handsome and charming Avner (Eric Bana) is deeply in love with his pregnant wife. Domestic bliss is short-lived; immediately following the "Black September" attack in Munich's Olympic village, Avner, the son of an Israeli hero, is summoned by his country's famed secret service agency, the Mossad, to carry out violent retaliations against those Palestinian terrorists allegedly behind the massacre. Commanded from afar by prickly government agent Ephraim (the inimitable Geoffrey Rush), Avner and his team of handpicked men - pugnacious South African Steve (Daniel Craig), goofy ex-toy maker Robert (Matthieu Kassovitz), morally conflicted Carl (Ciaran Hinds) and terse professional Hans (Hanns Zischler) - must deal with some shady, nefarious international figures as they track down their Palestinian prey. Their mission takes them from the villas of Rome to a seedy hotel in Cyprus and with each successful kill, Avner's iron will begins to dissolve as guilt and doubt begin to take hold of his conscience. Based on the book Vengeance by George Janos.
Directed by
Steven Spielberg
Written by
Tony Kushner (screenplay); Eric Roth (screenplay); George Jonas (book "Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team").
Starring
Eric Bana (Avner); Daniel Craig (Steve); Ciarán Hinds (Carl); Mathieu Kassovitz (Robert); Hanns Zischler (Hans); Ayelet Zurer (Daphna (as Ayelet Zurer)); Geoffrey Rush (Ephraim); Gila Almagor (Avner's Mother); Michael Lonsdale (Papa); Mathieu Amalric (Louis); Moritz Bleibtreu (Andreas); Valeria Bruni Tedeschi (Sylvie); Meret Becker (Yvonne); Marie-Josée Croze (Jeanette the Dutch Assassin); Yvan Attal (Tony - Andreas' Friend). Please contact SFC to add other cast members and characters.
Important: the following essays and comments are authored by Soul Food Cinema readers. Whilst the Editor prays for the spiritual integrity of all content of this site, it should be noted that these represent personal opinions and carry no official endorsement. If you consider any content to be a misrepresentation of Catholic teaching, please contact SFC. May God bless you and enlighten you in your reading.
-
Articles, Essays and Reviews
-
Please contact SFC if you are interested in submitting an essay on this film.
-
Readers' Comments and Opinions
-
Click the link to comment on this film. You may like to copy the film title and year (as given above) to your clipboard now for pasting into the following form.