September 5

(15) 95 mins

★★★★☆

GEN Z is going to be confused by this historical drama set way back in 1972.

At the centre of the story is a TV producer who makes circular motions to dial phone numbers, expects everyone to answer his calls and asks the question, “Can we show some people being shot live on television?”.

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In fairness, the latter is pretty much the daily diet of social media these days.

September 5, starring Ben Chaplin and Peter Sarsgaard, is a reminder that there was a time when just the thought of showing such horrors would shock the world.

In this pacy movie based on a true story we get the perspective of a TV crew covering the terror attack on Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

A team of sports journalists from US channel ABC found themselves best placed to report what was going on.

The moral question boss Roone Arledge (Sarsgaard), senior producer Marvin Bader (Chaplin) and rookie Geoff Mason (John Magaro) have to wrestle with is how much to broadcast live.

Will showing too much help the terrorists? Will it hinder the police? And what about the relatives of the hostages watching back home?

Roone seems to care more about the whopping audience figure of 900million he gains.

Director Tim Fehlbaum does a good job of taking a non-judgemental approach to all these thorny issues.

Instead, this tense drama puts the audience in the shoes of those involved and allows events to unravel.

But Fehlbaum doesn’t follow the advice that Roone gives to Geoff while putting together the coverage of the hostage taking.

Roone says that human stories need to be told.

September 5, which received a Best Original Screenplay Oscar nomination, doesn’t really do that on any level.

We don’t find out much about the TV crew’s personal lives.

Nor do we ever get to see the Jewish hostages. As a result there will be little emotional connection between cinemagoers and characters on screen.

It also pales in comparison with Steven Spielberg’s 2005 visceral movie Munich, which is a far more passionate take on the ramifications of the 1972 Games attack.

Nonetheless, September 5 is a thought-provoking film that shows anti-Semitism is a constant threat.

By Grant Rollings

Bring Them Down

15 (106 mins)

★★★☆☆

SALTBURN’S Barry Keoghan and Wolf Man’s Christopher Abbott play two feuding Irish shepherds in this violent thriller which makes Clarkson’s Farm look like a walk in the park.

Abbott’s Michael O’Shea has to deal with an invalid dad with a terrible temper (Colm Meaney), the theft of his best rams and what appear to be the neighbours from hell.

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They are Keoghan’s Jack Keeley and his father Gary (Paul Ready from Motherland), who try to bump his 4×4 off the dirt-track road following a row.

Trying to keep the peace is Caroline Keeley (Nora-Jane Noone), who has a romantic past with Michael.

Director and writer Chris Andrews shows Michael’s side of the story before switching to Jack’s perspective halfway through.

It’s a nice idea which doesn’t quite come off, and I was left asking what the flock is going on at points.

Even at the end I was confused as to why so many poor sheep faced such a grisly end. If you are looking for some strong, gritty acting, Bring Them Down is worth a watch.

But if you are upset by cruelty to animals, even if it’s not real, this requires a trigger warning.

The Seed of the Sacred Fig

(15) 167 mins

★★★★☆

UP for Best International Feature at next month’s Oscars, this subtitled family thriller set in Iran could do with some gentle pruning.

The Seed Of The Sacred Fig tells the story of Iman, who is promoted to the role of investigating judge just when the despotic regime is gripped by protests about the death of a young woman in custody.

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At work he is asked to agree to the death penalty in cases he’s barely had the chance to consider.

At home, his two teenage daughters are questioning the brutal treatment of the country’s youth.

When Iman’s pistol goes missing he suspects his wife and daughters – and must choose between his family and his job.

Directed by Mohammad Rasoulof, who fled persecution in Iran, this tale asks why the Islamic republic is turning on its children.

But the point is over- laboured, and too much time is spent on the whodunnit element of the story.

Thankfully, the acting is excellent, with Soheila Golestani as the mum caught in the middle particularly impressive.

And viewers’ patience will be rewarded by a heart-stopping ending.

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