When creating a film about the morality and ethics of journalism, centering a story around the Munich massacre of 1972 is an inspired choice. September 5 (2024), co-written and directed by Tim Fehlbaum (The Colony), is a film about an overnight ABC Sports crew in Munich who are faced with an opportunity to switch coverage from the Olympics itself to a dangerous hostage situation involving an Israeli Olympic team captured by a Palestinian military group, all of this happening 100 yards from their control room. Already knowing the grim outcome of these events is not necessarily important to understand the point of September 5. What’s important is to follow in real time how an unsuspecting control room finds itself at the crux of history and decides whether to follow the truth of journalism or go status quo and report what they are supposed to report. “You’re sports. You’re in way over your head” — a cautious warning given to Roone Arledge, the president of ABC Sports (a strong, understated performance from Peter Sarsgaard). In that respect, September 5 is a real-time, underdog story that examines the themes of ethics vs. morals and ambition vs. purpose, all within one unpredictable, tragic night.
L-R: John Magaro as Geoff Mason, Ben Chaplin as Marvin Bader, and Peter Sarsgaard as Roone Arledge in Paramount Pictures’ SEPTEMBER 5, the film that unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today, set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. ©2024 Paramount Pictures.
Above other factors (direction, production design), September 5 shines best with its core ensemble. Peter Sarsgaard (The Batman) leads the charge as ABC Sports president Roone Arledge, his focused glare paired with his measured and firm leadership plays well into the film’s pace and tension. Ben Chaplin (Cinderella) is Marvin Bader, the relaxed, relatable head of operations at ABC Sports. Chaplin pairs well with Sarsgaard and, more often than not, comes into conflict with the young, ambitious Geoffrey Mason, the head of the control room (played by John Magaro (Past Live)). Mason is the character to watch here because when the question of ethics vs. morals comes into play, his character serves as the center, not because he’s on the side of immorality or being unethical, but because he believes in telling the story, no matter how the story gets told. This “burn the boat” mentality comes into conflict with Bader’s “let’s just do our job and go home” mentality. Neither man is wrong but either man’ purpose or direction leads to quite a bit of uneasiness. Rounding out the ensemble is Leonie Benesch (The Teachers’ Lounge) who plays Marianne Gebhardt, a translator for the crew who speaks German and Hebrew. Benesch (whose face itself is a landscape of strong emotion) carries the biggest scenes of expression and restraint. She’s someone who knows the impact this unprecedented, politically-charged moment could have on Germany itself, a nation that is less than 30 years removed from the anguish and grief of WWII. She’s at the crux of all of this, being the woman on the “inside,” not just because she can translate but because she knows the air of tension, sadness, embarrassment, and guilt that exists within the nation of Germany at this very moment. It harkens back to an ironic foreshadowing moment early in the film where Mason drives into work with Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Fortunate Son” blaring on the radio. These core players, by twist of fate, are thrown in front of an unfortunate moment in history but are strangely fortunate to have the opportunity to report such an event to the public. It’s irony at its finest.
Leonie Benesch as Marianne Gebhard in Paramount Pictures’ SEPTEMBER 5, the film that unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today, set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. ©2024 Paramount Pictures.
September 5 is an interesting underdog story in which standing up and standing out can sometimes be one and the same. As Fehlbaum never strays far from the control room full of stress, ambition, and a lingering air of terror, he knows that this is what makes the film effective. As far as plot points go, the film is a bit bare, and it is talkative, but that’s the point — the real-time recreation of this event is what makes the film, not the twists and turns of the “story” being reported but the twists and turns in relation to the people reporting the story. Markus Förderer’s (The Colony) grainy cinematography recreates the “antiquated” atmosphere of the 1970s and is well-paired with Fehlbaum’s Paul Greengrass (Captain Phillips)-like direction, creating a level of anxiety within the control room where everyone is on their job but no one knows what awaits them around the corner. As things may end on a depressing note within the story being reported, the film itself ends on a fair one, with two characters licking their respective “wounds” and going over the schedule of tomorrow’s programming. The ability to do your job, learn from your mistakes and come back tomorrow ready to do it all over again is a fair point on how to end a tense film about journalism. It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey, and when it comes to journeys of truth reporting, September 5 is a solid film to behold.
John Magaro as Geoff Mason in Paramount Pictures’ SEPTEMBER 5, the film that unveils the decisive moment that forever changed media coverage and continues to impact live news today, set during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. ©2024 Paramount Pictures.
The film’s Blu-Ray release is presented in 1080p High Definition, with English, French, and Spanish subtitles and no special features. The iTunes extras on the Apple TV digital release however has five supplemental extras including two Q&As at the Screen Actors Guild and the Producers Guild of America.
September 5 Digital-Only Special Features:
- Remaking Broadcast History
- A Meticulous Undertaking
- On The Global Stage
- Screen Actors Guild Special Q&A with Cast
- Producers Guild of America Filmmaker Q&A
Available on digital February 4th, 2025.
Available on Blu-ray February 18th, 2025.
For more information, head to the official Paramount Pictures September 5 website.
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Categories: Home Release, Home Video, Recommendation, Reviews, streaming
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