One Day in September

Dir. Kevin Macdonald. 2000. N/R. 92mins. Documentary.

Unless you're at least 35 years old, odds are you don't remember the 1972 Olympic games. Ask your parents what happened in Munich that year, however, and the answer isn't likely to involve parallel bars or the javelin throw; the world was glued to its TV sets for a far more chilling reason. Seeking international attention for their cause and the release of numerous political prisoners, a Palestinian terrorist group called Black September seized 11 Israeli athletes and coaches early on the morning of September 5. The events that took place over the following 21 hours were so remarkably dramatic that Kevin Macdonald's Oscar-winning documentary account of the incident often plays more like a first-rate Hollywood thriller—albeit one with a conclusion so grim it makes Seven's Gwyneth-in-a-box climax look positively ebullient by comparison.

Macdonald, grandson of famed British filmmaker Emeric Pressburger, once made a movie about fellow documentarian Errol Morris, and he's clearly been influenced by Morris's hypnotically propulsive style. One Day in September is considerably more energetic and style-conscious than standard PBS fare, and while the film does feature the requisite talking heads (including a startling interview with the sole surviving member of Black September), it rarely gets bogged down in journalistic yadda-blah. Indeed, much of it consists of the very same footage that held television audiences rapt 28 years ago; in the saga's most remarkable twist, a guerrilla-style assault on the apartment where the hostages were being held was aborted at the last minute when police realized that the terrorists were watching every move they made—on TV.

Of course, if you do vividly recall the details of the Munich crisis, there's no pressing need for you to see this movie; apart from the aforementioned interview with Jamal Al Gashey, there's not much here that you don't already know. And God knows what Macdonald was thinking when he hired Michael Douglas as narrator; the actor carries so much reptilian baggage (Gordon Gekko, etc.) that hearing him speak dispassionately about civilian casualties makes you want to jump into the nearest shower. But September's Oscar win wasn't a complete travesty, and nowadays that's something to be thankful for. (Opens Fri; Film Forum.)—Mike D'Angelo