Bana starts the year in a big way

Eric Bana's riveting performance in Steven Spielberg's 'Munich' has got a little lost in the arguments about the rights and wrongs of the film.

He's been a Hulk, a Hector and a Chopper. Now, in Munich, Eric Bana is a killer of a different ilk. He plays Avner, a Mossad agent charged with killing members of the Palestinian terrorist group Black September after the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre of 11 Israeli athletes.

It's the Australian actor's biggest role since the one-time stand-up comedian found himself with a Hollywood acting career that has included Black Hawk Down, Troy and The Hulk. That came from his breakthrough performance in Chopper, a biopic of Melbourne underworld legend Mark "Chopper" Read. Five years later one Steven Spielberg came calling ...

Why do you think Spielberg pushed the role your way?

Obviously he had seen my previous work, but I didn't get into it too much with him. It's probably good not to be too aware of why these things are. I was scared of him changing his mind if I made him think about it too hard.

What made you say yes?

His description of the story was very vivid and I was given a script straight away. I just loved it. It just read like the greatest thriller - compelling and moving and all that stuff. It was a very easy yes.

Quite aside from the history and politics, it's a thriller which harks back to movies of the era it is set in.

Yeah absolutely, it really pays homage to the great thrillers. In some way it attempts to walk in those shoes. We don't see a lot of films set in the 70s. It was very exciting to be a part of.

Those 70s shirts you wear in the film are pretty exciting, too. Tel Aviv polyester huh?

Ha, ha. Yeah.

Were they new or did they have that op-shop smell?

Ah ... a bit of both. Some were constructed and some were most definitely vintage.

Your thoughts on the reaction to the film?

It's a predictable by-product of the subject matter. You know going into it if you say the words "Israel and Palestine" - you immediately have a bunch of prejudices and predetermined ideas. I've enjoyed reading a lot of it. It's not everyday you work on a film and have not only entertainment journalists but very well respected political journalists commenting as well. The only problem is the white noise gets to the level where people forget there's a movie underneath it all.

Who is scarier to meet in person, the real Chopper or the real Avner?

That's a good question. Aah ... they were both somewhat intimidating. The thought of meeting them was somewhat intimidating.

Why do you keep being cast as killers?

I don't know. I'm not a big fan of violent cinema. But I love drama, I just love it, and I love dramatic movies ... the violence in the last few pictures has come hand in hand with that.

So you and Brad Pitt in a real fight - who would win?

Me and Brad Pitt in a real fight? That would be a good one actually. He's no pushover.

Oh come on. We saw Troy.

We'll never know. We're mates so we'll never know the answer to that one.

* Munich is screening now.