Historical drama September 5 is a journalism thriller that never lets up.

September 5 shows us the Munich Olympic attack of 1972 from another perspective. The event marked the first time that an incident like this was broadcast live on television, and the film puts us in the ABC Sports control room as it happened as the team quickly shifted from sports reporting to live coverage of the hostage situation. Director Tim Fehlbaum takes us into the thick of it, showing us the events as they happen from the perspective of the news crew in this American-German co-production.

Geoff Mason (John Magaro) is a young producer who works under accomplished TV executive and pivotal modern sports reporting pioneer Roone Alredge (Peter Sarsgaard). With the help of German interpreter Marianne (Leonie Benesch) and his mentor, Martin Bader (Ben Chaplin), Geoff and his team broadcast the hostage crisis live to millions of people around the world, improvising with the technology they have and making some difficult choices along the way. Writers Tim Fehlbaum, Moritz Binder, and Alex David crafted the story around Mason’s first-hand recollections, which he described to them in great detail, and interviews with other people in the ABC control room and studio on that day.

The narrative itself is thrilling. The news team desperately wanted to find out what was happening, and I found myself on the edge of my seat, waiting for every revelation, even though I already knew how the historical events would play out. Despite the broadcasters’ indirect involvement, there’s still a palpable sense of danger—Peter Jennings and other crew hide from police and take risks to continue reporting. Moral questions come into play and must be answered against a ticking clock. Are the terrorists also watching the broadcasts? How much confirmation should the news crew get before reporting something? What consideration should they have for the families of the athletes being held hostage? The actors’ excellent performances drive all of this forward.

I found the procedural elements of the movie captivating; they lend a sense of realism to it. The film offers a realistic portrayal of a live TV broadcast control room and a detailed look at the analog technology used at the time. The crew improvises with what they have. Footage from the field cannot be reviewed instantly; it must be developed. Live studio video cameras are large and must still be wired to the studio when wheeled outside by multiple people. Overlay graphics and titles are created by hand, photographed by a separate camera, and composited onto the broadcast, a cutting-edge process at the time. Technicians must figure out how to facilitate Peter Jennings reporting live over a payphone; we see them wire a phone receiver to sound equipment. Alredge must negotiate to extend the time allocated to the single satellite feed shared by several networks to ensure the broadcast remains uninterrupted. Amidst all this chaos, Mason and his team produced a pivotal and influential broadcast that continues to shape how news is reported today. Incorporating actual archival footage from the broadcast playing on the control room’s screens adds another layer of authenticity to the film.

September 5 is a historical drama that doubles as a gripping thriller with high stakes. The film maintains a tense atmosphere and never slows down; at a brisk 95 minutes, there isn’t any fat here. Tightly edited, visually claustrophobic, and full of powerhouse performances, I highly recommend seeing this one on the big screen if you can. As someone who loves movies about journalism, I believe this is one of the best I’ve seen in recent memory.

September 5 premiered at the Venice Film Festival on August 29, 2024. It’s now in wide release as of January 17, 2025, after a limited release in December 2024.

Overall Score: 8/10