New day awaits 'Munich' on DVD (USATODAY.com)

Munich arrives on DVD Tuesday, the last of this year's best-picture-Oscar nominees to be released for home viewing.

And , who plays the leader of the Israeli secret agents assigned to track down the men behind the 1972 massacre of 11 Israelis at the Munich Olympics, believes this film might play better in homes than it did in theaters. Despite the attention from being a film directed by Oscar winner (Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan), Munich grossed less than $50 million in theaters.

The revenue from DVD sales of feature films has begun to rival, if not outpace, the revenue from theatrical runs - particularly for films that take in less than $75 million.

Munich is available in two editions from Universal Studios Home Entertainment, a single disc version and a two-disc collector's edition with bonus features that include documentaries about the impact of the massacre, the making of the movie and the movie's international cast. Both retail for $30.

The controversy that surrounded the film's theatrical debut may have "hijacked" people's opinions, Bana says.

Israeli officials and many Jews objected to what they considered the film's naivete and moral equivocation; critics on the other side said the film was pro-Israeli. Spielberg also was accused of historical inaccuracy by both sides.

"Now, some time has gone by, and hopefully people will get to receive the film on their own terms without projecting on it," Bana says. "This film is purely and simply too bloody good for people to have predisposed ideas about it."

Bana says his favorite scene in Munich is one of the most controversial: In an Athens safehouse, Avner (Bana) meets a Palestinian terrorist named Ali, who condemns 's founding on what he considers the Palestinian homeland.

"I remember being quite scared about doing it, because there was so much important dialogue and it's kind of a condensed version of what the entire film is about," Bana says. "But I really like the way it came out."

Once he agreed to the role, Bana had two years before filming began to master an Israeli accent and study Middle East history. He says the time was "a godsend." (Bana has just finished shooting his next film, Romulus, My Father, in his native Australia. It's about a man whose mother is mentally ill.)

Despite the movie's somber theme, the set wasn't all serious.

Bana recalls shooting a scene with co-star in which they were sneaking up on a party where they intended to assassinate the guest of honor. At the time, Craig, who is filming Casino Royale, had not yet decided whether to be the next James Bond.

"As we were filming the scene, a night shot in which we were running along a path and climbing over a wall, just as we began to roll, dum-dum-dum-dum - there was the theme from James Bond. Steven always has a portable stereo on the set to provide atmosphere music, and it was pretty funny, hearing that song."

Craig "kept a straight face and got through the entire take," Bana says. "It's pretty amazing, really."

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