This dramatic thriller film chronicles the Munich Games massacre of Israeli athletes in 1972 from the perspective of an ABC Sports crew, which attempted to cover what happened.
SEPTEMBER FIVE. Starring: Peter Sarsgaard, John Magaro, Ben Chaplin, and Leonie Benesch. Directed by Tim Fehlbaum. M (Mature themes and coarse language). 95 min.
Review by Peter W Sheehan, Jesuit Media Australia
This German-US, English speaking thriller focuses on a terrorist massacre, that was documented and recorded by an actual (ABC Sports) television crew in Germany. It makes substantial use of archival footage of the news about the massacre of competitors at the 1972 Summer Olympics and covers details of a hostage crisis that gripped the world at the time. The 1972 Munich Olympics came to be remembered for what happened to the Israeli team (coaches and athletes) and to the reporting of it, rather than for sporting achievements. At the Munich Games, 11 Israelis (two members of the Israeli Olympic team), and nine other Israeli team members taken as hostages were killed by the Palestinian Black September group, and the film dramatically captures the dedication and human fallibility of the people in the ABC control room at the time, who reported on the crisis. The Control room was under the charge of ABC Sports President, Roone Arledge (Peter Sarsgaard). A rescue attempt was mounted and failed, in which the nine hostages were killed by the militants.
The movie was awarded “Best Editing” by the Los Angeles Film Critics Association in 2025, and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 2025. The film focuses almost exclusively on the Sports Division of ABC TV, which broadcasted the events of the terrorism to the world. The Team itself came under pressure to make statements to ensure media rivals didn’t cover the story they wanted to own for what was occurring, and the Team faced the consequences of their media reports influencing what was happening in fact.
The film mixes fictionalised action with live footage, as it traverses its scenarios. Footage was live, for example, when the ABC team suddenly saw that the terrorists themselves were watching ABC footage on their own television sets. As a consequence, the terrorists could have learnt intended strategy from the radio and television broadcasts that were being communicated; they heard and saw what Police Officers were doing (as reported); and Police Cover was being compromised by the ABC coverage. The film itself powerfully raises significant questions about ethical reporting and advocates close scrutiny about ethical standards for responsible media coverage.
Tim Fehlbaum, the film’s Director, has produced a particularly tight thriller. The rapid-fire activities in the ABC headquarters by the news team is captured brilliantly. The movie is very well edited and acted, and both narration and direction movingly gives viewers the detail of tragic events that are hard to forget. The scripting of the film is exceptional, and the film provides arresting visuals to complement its narrative force. This is a film that grips viewers with the impact of terrible events that carry important messages for ethical media reporting today.
Peter W. Sheehan is an Associate of Jesuit Media