Munich: Get Me Rewrite!

James Lileks has a fictional conversation between a Hollywood producer (B) and a writer (K):

B: Loved the script, powerful and timely. . . Streisand is totally on board for the role and everyone smells Oscar. Anyway. There’s this scene here at the Department of Central Security — is that real? . . . She’s watching this board where they track outgoing calls, catches a call going from a known terrorist in Washington to another terrorist cell in Hamburg, and she picks up and listens. Don’t get me wrong, I have the highest respect for your talent, but, uh, don’t you think this is a little far-fetched?

K: . . . Look, I researched this. The president can order a tap if Bad Guy A in Kansas calls Bad Guy B in Wackostan with details on tonight’s bombing. . . .  C’mon. This is what people want. . . . .

B: I know, I know, but what if we went "Munich" on this one here, showed the emotional toll of all this? Say the call was innocent. "Hey, Bob, how you doing, howza wife and kids." And then we pick up the story 10 years later where the government is tapping everyone’s phones and the hero realizes, my G-d or Buddha or whatever, "I am responsible for this." It’s like that old saying, "First they came for the library records under the Patriot Act and I said nothing, because I didn’t use the library," and so on. You know? . . .

K: You make it sound like you’d end Casablanca with an arrest warrant for Claude Rains because he shot the Nazi.

B: Hey, things were different then. That was war.

K: And this isn’t?

B: (Looking out the window) I don’t see anything on fire. Do you?

“Munich” opens tomorrow.  There has been a lot of commentary on it already.  But don’t miss Lynn-B’s coverage (and accompanying links) here, here and here.  Those interested in a defense of the movie can find it here.