History Film / Munich

* BlackAndGreyMorality: One of the more controversial and brilliant aspects of the film is its refusal to show either side as being necessarily more righteous or dignified in what they do.

The story follows Israeli-born German-raised Mossad agent Avner as he assembles his team and starts to work on their targets. But with each person killed, he's in danger of losing more and more of his humanity.

** It is also mentioned that the German Army is unable to assist due to "complicated laws." The (then-West) German constitution forbids the army from operating on German soil during peacetime, which is why they were unable to directly move against the terrorists.

* NoPreggerSex: Averted; after having sex with his visibly pregnant wife, the main character asks her "How long into the pregnancy should we stop having sex?" [[GoodPeopleHaveGoodSex Between heavy breaths, she responds: "labor."]]
* NotSoDifferent: Of two kinds. The first is that all militants and spies are cut from the same cloth, all fighting for their own idea of good. The second is how [[CycleOfRevenge vengeance begets more vengeance]]. When they kill the woman assassin, they are taking vengeance for her taking vengeance on them, for taking vengeance for the Munich killings, which were the vengeance for prior actions.

* PayEvilUntoEvil: When Avner covers up the bloody, exposed corpse of the female assassin with her robe, Hans tells him "Leave it" and pulls her robe open again, as if to make her death as humiliating as possible.[[note]]Also a CallBack to how Carl was likewise naked when they found him.[[/note]]

* SpiritualSuccessor: Could be considered as this to ''Film/SchindlersList''. Creator/JonStewart at the 2006 Oscars:

** It is also mentioned that the German Army is unable to assist due to "complicated laws." The West German constitution forbids the army from operating on German soil during peacetime, which is why they were unable to directly move against the terrorists.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: During the opening, the West German police attempt a rescue at the Olympic Village, only to call it off when it's pointed out that the terrorists are watching their approach on the news. This actually happened during the crisis.

* InstantThunder: Averted in the opening. A reporter is covering the events at the airport, and a fireball erupts behind him as one of the helicopters explodes. He doesn't notice for a few seconds when the shockwave hits.

** The female assassin's death. She exposes her breasts in an attempt to dissuade the Mossad agents, but they shoot her anyway. She collapses in a chair and dies naked in a pool of blood.

* MajorInjuryUnderreaction: The Dutch assassin (called Jeanette in the credits) who tries to [[DistractedByTheSexy distract with her sexy]] the Mossad agents. She pulls open her robe, beneath which she's naked, and immediately gets shot in the chest and throat. Rather than be blown backwards or cry out in pain, she stumbles vaguely around her houseboat while the agents disassemble their one-use weapons, [[PetTheDog gives her cat a hug]], then sits down in a chair, and just wheezes horribly while blood finally starts to pour out of her wounds. Then Hans finishes her off with a headshot.
* MenAreTheExpendableGender: In-universe, [[spoiler:Carl's assassin]] has no redeeming qualities (minus [[PetTheDog her cat]]), compared with the first two targets (see ItGetsEasier above) but, perhaps because she's young, female, unarmed, and naked, her death seems more morally dubious and distressing to several of the agents than the other deaths.

* ItGetsEasier: Played horrifyingly straight. The first kill is quite tense for both the characters and the audience, but then after that it becomes much easier on them and us. The first kill is a poet whom we see buying groceries and chatting with the lady behind the counter; the second is a political activist whose young daughter is featured front and center and whom the team almost blows up by mistake. After that there aren't so many humanizing moments.

* MultinationalTeam: All of the squad are Israeli citizens, but all of them except Avner are ''olim''-- Jewish immigrants to Israel from elsewhere--Steve is South African, Robert is Belgian, Hans is German, and Carl is also probably German but it is never established.

* ShowSomeLeg: A disturbing, unusually dark example of this trope. [[spoiler:Carl's]] HoneyTrap assassin, seeing that his friends have come to avenge him, opens her robe and exposes her breasts in an attempt to distract/dissuade them. It doesn't work.

* SpiritualSuccessor: Could be considered as this to ''Film/SchindlersList''. Jon Stewart at the 2006 Oscars:

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Avenar says his work is the kind that [[INeedAFreakingDrink requires a drink]], the woman responds that they must be in the same business. [[spoiler: As it turns out, they are; she's an assassin, too.]]

-->--'''Robert''' and '''Avner Kaufman'''

[[quoteright:300:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/munich_1132.jpg]]

* AppealToWorseProblems: One of the targets does this when he mentions that compared to the reaction of the Munich massacre, nobody says anything about the children killed in Israeli attacks against Palestine.

* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Ephraim will not break bread with Avner, indicating that Avner and his whole team were disavowed and considered expendable, and most of them died for nothing. In addition, Avner and his team were already told in the beginning how far out on the edge they'd be, with no support or backing from Israel beyond funds and target profiles. Ephraim refusing to break bread with a former citizen and soldier, even under Avner's olive branch of sharing Jewish heritage, is him saying he doesn't even consider Avner a Jew [[BadassIsraeli like he is]]. The homeland Avner sacrificed almost everything for has rebuked him completely.]]

** During the assassination of the third target by planting a bomb underneath the mattress of his hotel's room, the bomb also blows the two adjacent rooms, one of them had a [[InsatiableNewlyweds couple of newlyweds]] on their honeymoon, when Avner rushes to help them we see them completely naked and heavily bleeding.

* MultinationalTeam: All of the squad are Israeli citizens, but all of them except Avner are ''olim''-- Jewish immigrants to Israel from elsewhere--Steve is South African, Robert is Belgian, Hans is German, and Carl is also probably German but it is never established

* VeryLooselyBasedOnATrueStory: The depictions of the Olympic massacre and the assassinations are closely based on historical fact. The rest is either based on "Avner's" memoirs, the accuracy and even authenticity of which are disputed to this day, or is otherwise total fiction[[note]]Given the intense illegality of the supposed Israeli assassinations, it's incredibly likely that Israel will never admit to them, assuming they did happen. It's also likely that there are no actual records of any such operation[[/note]].

* NotSoDifferent: Of two kinds. The first is that all militants and spies are cut from the same cloth, all fighting for their own idea of good. The second is how vengeance begets more vengeance. When they kill the woman assassin, they are taking vengeance for her taking vengeance on them, for taking vengeance for the Munich killings, which were the vengeance for prior actions.