September 5
Directed by Tim Fehlbaum"September 5" is a historical drama film directed by Tim Fehlbaum that focuses on the 1972 Munich Olympic hostage crisis from the perspective of the ABC Sports crew. The film highlights their transition from covering the Olympics to reporting on the hostage situation involving Israeli athletes, and showcases the intense and emotional experience of live broadcasting during a global tragedy.
Cast of September 5
September 5 Ratings & Reviews
- Kevin WardJuly 1, 2025Historical drama directed by Tim Fehlbaum, that offers a gripping portrayal of the 1972 Munich Olympic hostage crisis, focusing on the ABC Sports crew's real-time coverage of the tragic events. This incident not only shocked the world but also marked a pivotal moment in live news broadcasting, as media outlets, including ABC Sports, provided continuous coverage, bringing the horror into living rooms worldwide. Fehlbaum places us in the control room of the ABC sports crew where Peter Sarsgaard plays Roone Arledge overseeing backup producer Geoffrey Mason (John Magaro) that find themselves being uniquely positioned to cover this breaking news story that’s unfolding a mere hundred yards away. Taking place almost entirely within the control room the production utilizes a ton of real archive footage of the broadcast to recreate what the control room atmosphere was like and it is very effective. Taut and tense. Sarsgaard and Magaro are excellent as they grapple with the ramifications of covering a breaking story live and the differences between investigative journalism and live sports. With all this cutting edge technology at their fingertips and with an opportunity for mind blowing ratings, what responsibility do they have for journalistic decency, truth and/or safety? “Can we show someone being murdered on live TV?” Mason asks out loud, perhaps unsure of what he would like the answer to be. Leonie Benesch is also excellent here as their German translator, Marianne Gebhardt. I loved her in last years The Teacher’s Lounge and so I was pleasantly surprised to see her here. Marianne is more than just a bridge between languages; she’s a window into Germany’s post-war psyche, her nervous energy a reflection of a nation unsure of how to handle the world’s gaze during a crisis. Her role in explaining cultural nuances to Arledge and Mason such as, why the police response is subdued and what the political stakes are. I rather loved this. It’s a biting look at sensationalism in media, and a model where ratings and drama take precedence over humanity, and even truth. In one of the closing moments as Mason attempts to console Gebhardt for putting her at the front lines of a tragedy and how scary that may have been for her, she looks at him dejected. “It was fine. I was with hundreds of other people. We were all there just trying to take a picture of it.” Mason acknowledges and nods in agreement. “So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”
- thomasrogers753June 27, 2025Yea I don’t know what to say on this one I want to know more about the event and what happened outside of what I saw and maybe revisit this movie and I think it’ll change my thoughts Definitely can’t deny how entertaining it is
- Jason LaytonMay 23, 2025I can't believe I missed this somehow. I love movies showing the control room of actual journalists. It brings light to the dangerous results of the spreading of misinformation and the YouTube culture that have somehow discredited a profession built on integrity and skill that takes decades to master. This gem was hidden from me and I'm so glad I discovered it here.
- ayayronApril 6, 2025September's other, less discussed act of terrorism
- RyezooFebruary 3, 2025Never hearing this story before, it was pretty captivating, especially having have worked in the news industry. I like and dislike the staying with the control room crew the entire time. It makes you feel like your in the room experiencing it with them, but I can’t help but feel the movie would be stronger if it left with the characters that ventured closer to the action. This is worth a watch, but it don’t feel like it’s one I’ll be returning to.
- rg9400March 8, 2025I was very excited for this movie, thinking it could be a pulse-pounding and scathing look from inside a terrorist attack, showcasing nuances in terms of both the geopolitical ramifications and causes as well as the journalistic ethics behind covering it. This movie is not that. It feels completely limp and perfunctory for most of its runtime. First off, this movie does not even remotely tackle the geopolitical aspects of the attack. The most it talks about is the fact that it occurred in Germany during a Holocaust rememberance anniversary despite the parallels and complexity of how it relates to the existing Israel-Palestine conflict. Second, while the movie is ostensibly about journalistic ethics, it doesn't really go into depth there outside of maybe its ending when it finally tries to highlight a specific moral quandry. Yes, there are moments where characters parrot questions about whether or not they are helping the terrorists by covering the story, but there are plenty of movies that focus on these types of themes with way more nuance, e.g. last year's Civil War or Nightcrawler. Part of the reason is that those stories are fictional and are able to actually craft complex characters whose interiority reflects some of these larger thematic questions. Because this movie is fixated on a real event, it seems like the writers were scared of actually portraying any of the characters as anything more than props. To be honest, I am already confusing all the characters since they blend together so much. Finally, while this movie uses a rapid score similar to Saturday Night to convey a feeling of tension of suspense, there really isn't much. The entirety of the movie is portrayed from the perspective of the journalists who are so detached from the actual attack and the victims that it never really creates any sort of tension within the audience -- we are not scared about what will happen because the focus is on how to cover the event, not the event itself. The end result is a movie that has some weak messaging but not much else going for it.
- branndon96March 7, 2025This is a true masterpiece of reenactment. Of the first ever broadcast terror event. But shown through the lens of a news team and how they try to handle providing the coverage for the rest of the world to know. Keeps you at the edge of your seat. And I believe deserves an is a contender for an award for movies in 2025. However I can see it going overlooked with its early release in the year. A must watch for anyone who is unknown to this event and those who are to really get a understanding of what the rest of the news room goes through outside of who’s speaking to the camera.
- cultfilmlikerFebruary 26, 2025Wild how those first gunshots instantly make you queasy. I don’t know if that’s an American thing or just bc we know what’s going to happen. Likely both. Thrilling screenplay. Always gonna have a soft spot for control room perspective films lol so technical and so impressive. Solid film but I have to ask questions about the timing with regard to the current political climate and state of Gaza. Ugh. Been watching WAY too much ~propaganda lately. I fear people are strung to get the wrong idea about me.
