Steven Spielberg’s 9/11 obsession

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Terrorists vs. counterterrorists
In one of the film’s best scenes, thanks to the piercing dialogue by “Angels in America” playwright Tony Kushner the Palestinian point of view gets some screen time. Eric Bana, who plays Avner Kauffman, the head of the Israeli revenge team, asks his opposite what the Palestinians are really fighting for. Do they really miss their homes and olive trees that much? Is that what this is really about. “You don’t know what it is to not have a home,” responds the terrorist. “Home is everything.” Kushner’s sentiment doesn’t provide moral justification for terrorist acts, but it shows the human reasoning behind inhumane actions.

Eventually Avner turns his back on the mission and wonders if what he did was right. Is he a hero or a cold-blooded murder or both? In the film’s final scene, Aver and his Mossad boss (brilliantly played by Oscar winner Geoffrey Rush) walk away from each other; each convinced that the other is wrong. In the distance the Twin Towers — America’s own Munich — can be seen. Leaving the moviegoer to shudder at the memory of what comes next.

Joe Tirella is a Senior Editor at Star magazine.

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