This is an excellent made for TV movie which will cause even non-Jewish viewers to feel pride. The Isreali government assisted in the production of a similar movie, "Operation Thunderbolt" which is very accurate historically and should also be seen for comparison. That movie used actual Isreali soldiers and several survivors of the incident. "Raid on Entebbe" is a much smoother and more enjoyable production. The cast worked very well together. This was Peter Finch's last movie. Charles Bronson is at his best. An interesting blooper is that Yoni Netanyahu was a Lt. Colonel, but is shown in the uniform of a full Colonel. Don't let that ruin the movie for you, though, it should be in every historical and military collection.
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ma-cortes1 August 2014An Air France flight is hijacked by the PFLP the plane has about 100 Jewish passengers. This is the true as well as exciting story of a daring Israeli commando assault on the Entebbe Airport in Uganda to free hostages of a terrorist hijacking . The plane is grounded in Uganda but Israelis would not negotiate . The movie then shows how less than 500 soldiers actually flew so far and rescued the passengers in one of the most successful Military operations in history. The implacable operation is executed by expert Israeli commandos , they carry out the rescue of passengers held hostage by terrorist at Uganda's Entebbe Airport in 1976 .
A compelling actioner all the more gripping because true . It is packed with thrills , action , drama , suspense and nice interpretations . All star cast gives fine acting as well as support cast , such as Martin Balsam , Horst Buchholz , John Saxon , Jack Warden , Sylvia Sidney , Robert Loggia , Eddie Constantine , David Opatoshu , Stephen Macht , and a young James Woods . Peter Finch's final acting role , he would receive a posthumous Emmy nomination just six months after winning his Oscar for Network . Special mention to actor Yaphet Kotto, he is awesome though overacting , he plays Ugandan President Idi Amin, Kotto is actually Jewish . As most of this film was shot at the Stockton Airport in California, it's very obvious that the production had the assistance of the California National Guard that has a facility there. The C-130's are all National Guard aircraft. their camouflage being very different from that of Israel. All of the vehicles were of national guard origin. The Flight Crew shown in the film, with the exception of the "pilot" -who was an extra- , were the actual 115th crew who flew the aircraft in the movie. The motion picture was professionally directed by Irvin Kershner.
The picture is well based on real events , they are the followings : Operation Entebbe was a mission carried out by commandos of the Israel Defense Forces (I(IDF) at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked, by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the German Revolutionary Cells, and flown to Entebbe, the main airport of Uganda. The local government supported the hijackers and dictator Idi Amin personally welcomed them. The hijackers separated the Israelis and Jews from the larger group and forced them into another room. That afternoon, 47 non-Israeli hostages were released. The next day, 101 more non-Israeli hostages were allowed to leave on board an Air France aircraft. More than 100 Israeli and Jewish passengers, along with the non-Jewish pilot Captain Bacos, remained as hostages and were threatened with death .The IDF acted on intelligence provided by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. The hijackers threatened to kill the hostages if their prisoner release demands were not met. This threat led to the planning of the rescue operation. These plans included preparation for armed resistance from Ugandan military troops.The operation took place at night. Israeli transport planes carried 100 commandos over 2,500 miles (4,000 km) to Uganda for the rescue operation. The operation, which took a week of planning, lasted 90 minutes. 102 hostages were rescued. Five Israeli commandos were wounded and one, the unit commander, Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, was killed. All the hijackers, three hostages and 45 Ugandan soldiers were killed, and thirty Soviet-built MiG-17s and MiG-21s of Uganda's air force were destroyed. Kenyan sources supported Israel, and in the aftermath of the operation Idi Amin issued orders to retaliate and slaughter several hundred Kenyans present in Uganda. Operation Entebbe, which had the military codename Operation Thunderbolt, is sometimes referred to retroactively as Operation Jonathan in memory of the unit's leader, Yonatan Netanyahu. He was the older brother of Benjamin Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister of Israel. The narrator of the film states at the end of the film that it's unknown what happened to Dora Bloch -played by Sylvia Sidney-, who had been taken to the hospital. It was later learned that she was murdered in Kampala. Her remains were found outside of Kampala in 1979 and were flown to Israel for burial. -
ramesestsarina224 July 2014I must say I was pleasantly surprised when watching this, not having expected very much of it. I think I had some kind of trashy midday movie in mind, so it was nice to find 'Raid on Entebbe' was well above expectation.
Firstly, it was nice to find a film based on historic events that adhered to those events (barring minor and inconsequential details). Especially when a film is based on such a sensitive subject as terrorism, one hopes it won't be overblown and over the top. It wasn't – it was a good and even-handed depiction, neither demonizing the terrorists nor white-washing them, but simply depicting factually the actions they took. For a mainly B-list cast, the acting was strong and believable.
So this was a decent, solid movie, well put together and maintaining its entertainment value throughout. -
yenlo8 February 2000Two made for television movies came out within a year of each other about this incident. Both were good films but this one seems a tad better due to the higher caliber of actors hired. The direction is also better as are the costumes and props used. However don't pass up the other "Victory at Entebbe."
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Leofwine_draca22 October 2016One of three movies that were rushed out in the wake of the 1976 terrorist hijacking, this television film is considered by many who saw it at the time to be the best of the bunch. It's certainly a well-made film, with plenty of authenticity and some very good turns from an excellent ensemble cast. Yet I couldn't help wishing that this film had a little more 'oomph', a little more excitement to propel it along. It's a very dry film that's filled with talky dialogue throughout and the last-reel gung ho antics come too little, too late for my liking. While this may well be because the film is based on a real-life incident and therefore things have to be portrayed as they really happened, in comparison to the recent edge-of-your-seat UNITED 93 you can really see the difference.
Most of the fun comes from playing 'spot the cast member' as there are many heavyweights popping up in various roles. Peter Finch, Robert Loggia, Jack Warden, and Eddie Constantine are all fairly interchangeable in desk-bound official turns, and it's left to the on-the-ground guys to give the best acting jobs. Charles Bronson and John Saxon lend some brief, decent military toughness to the proceedings while Horst Buchholz is very convincing as the sweaty, nervous terrorist leader. Watch out for an early turn from James Woods who is very good as an Israeli soldier, and little old lady Sylvia Sidney playing to type as a sweet little old dame.
For my part, the film had two excellent and very different performances which made things worth watching. The first comes from Martin Balsam, playing a hostage; this guy can do no wrong, and he's very understated here, and great with it. Using just his eyes for the most part he conveys a ton of emotion and shows up the other actors around him. Finally there's Yaphet Kotto in his scene-stealing turn as Ugandan President and all-round cannibal Idi Amin; this is a great role for any actor and Kotto is superb at conveying the psychopath's mood and mannerisms. While the film is a little dark in terms of lighting and the sets sometimes don't convince, the level of technical detail is good and the story is always interesting. It may not be a classic but it is a decent little hostage thriller and worth seeking out for fans of the genre or the actors involved. -
rmax30482315 October 2013It's quite good, and hews fairly close to the actual historical events, so far as I'm aware of them.
Palestinian/German terrorists hijack an Air France plane, divert it to Entebbe, Uganda, release all those with non-Israeli passports, and keep the Jews hostage while demanding the release of fellow Palestinians now in jail. The deadline is about three days, after which the terrorists will start killing the hostages. But the Israelis quickly mount a rescue mission called "Operation Thunderbolt". Three cargo airplanes land at Entebbe airport and the Israeli strike force leaps out, shoots the terrorists, and rescues all but half a dozen or so of the hostage, some having been killed during combat.
I kept imagining what this neatly executed, straightforward, adventure/suspense drama would have been like if it had been a recently released fictional story. It would have been shot in high-contrast ghoulish green. The musical score would have been electronic percussion and would burst your basilar membranes. Each shot would be equal to, or less than, exactly one quarter of a second. The political decisions-making process would have been gotten out of the way pronto in order to make room for an Olympic swimming pool of blood and brains.
Of course this IS a dramatization, which means we have to put up with a certain number of requisite clichés. But I managed to grit my teeth through the few minutes of the sick little girl, the wizened but wise old lady, and the fainting pregnant woman. The trite elements were trumped by the rest of the story, which had some unexpectedly subtle touches.
In a minor-key scene I'm sure was meant to be amusing, Peter Finch, as the Prime Minister of Israel, announces to his dozen or so colleagues that Operation Thunderbolt is underway -- now! And a dozen disputatious Jews leap to their feet and begin shouting at one another while Finch tiredly removes his glasses and rubs his eyes. He's resigned to outlast the arguments.
Another notable moment. Jack Warden is demonstrating the landing to John Saxon using a model airplane and a model airstrip. When Warden plunks the wooden aircraft on the runway a wheel breaks off from the landing gear. A pause, then Warden tries fitting the tiny wheel back into place and failing. "It's only a model," remarks Saxon. "It could happen." And the camera holds for a tidy moment on Warden's face while the room fills with a voluminous tension.
The performances are all of professional caliber but one is the first among equals. And that would be Yaphet Koto, who seems to be having the time of his life playing the treacherous, snollygoster Idi Amin, President-for-Life of Uganda. He's all bodacious smiles for the camera, laughing, greeting everyone with "Shalom", pinching a child's cheek while the flash bulbs pop, trailing his willowy girl friend in tow, waving his hands gaily, showing off his medals and reciting his decorations, each time in a different uniform.
The historical reality might have been written as a movie script, so it's no surprise that several movies have dealt with the incident, not to count the documentaries. The good guys are clearly distinguished from the bad guys. The climax is an exciting commando raid in which only a few hostages die and all of the terrorists are eliminated by bullet. It even has a tragic hero. Stephen Macht as the ultra-likable Yonni Netanyahu, the leader of the combat team, shot and killed at the last moment. A modern movie would have the shooter shredded in a fusillade of outraged Israeli bullets but it doesn't happen here because it didn't happen there.
The bad guys are given short shrift. We may recognize Horst Bucholtz and the one who is a woman, but the rest are as faceless as the miscreants in a Dirty Harry movie. Bucholtz is given a smidgen of guilt but there is no doubt that they're terrorists practicing asymmetrical warfare. The name of Bucholtz's character means "evil" in German. If they were on our side they might be guerrillas or commandos or even freedom fighters. As it stands, their label is the proper one. -
It is like watching a documentary. I watch the History Channel all the time. I love watching War documentaries. This film is like a War documentary with acting. I found it quite accurate on the accounts of what happened. I love the raid. They even have the fake Edie on this one. Way too Cool, what a raid. 6/10
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Theo Robertson17 August 2003This is by no means a bad account on the legendary true life tale of Israeli special forces rescuing over a hundred hostages from Entebbe airport . However I couldn't help noticing how flat everything seemed . The directing is rather static even during the action scenes , the dialogue is unmemorable but worst of all are the performances - Field Marshall Idi Amin , president of Uganda and uncrowned king of Scotland ( Hope it's not too hot in hell for you Dada ? ) , who wouldn't want to play that role . Unfortunately Yaphet Kotto seems to have been cast at short notice and hasn't put enough charisma into the role , and the other actors don't really stand out , not even James Woods . I guess there was a race on by film companies to get their film out first , and it certainly seems that this film was produced in a hurry . But as I said it's far from being terrible and if memory serves me right it's superior to the version that preceded it and at least it isn't an action thriller in the vein of DELTA FORCE
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XionTrain26 September 2006Considering that this movie was made in 1977, surrounding events that happened not to long ago from then, I would certainly place it in a higher position than it currently is. With regards to authenticity, the Israeli and Mossad PR department seems to given full cooperation when it came to all the details surrounding the event because absolutely nothing seemed out of place in the sets. Every piece of equipment, uniform and aircraft were surprisingly authentic. All this would have been useless without a proper cast and the same is most certainly delivered. There isn't a lot of action until the climax but even the slower sequences will keep you gripped until that arrives. This movie is very detailed, realistic and authentic and would be classified as a must watch in my book.
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lost-in-limbo13 March 2008We know this is based upon true dramatic accounts, and while it does a good job in presenting it, but as for it being entertaining. I have to agree with another user-commenter that the film can at times feel plain in the portrayal of the situation. The rhythm can get bumpy and some sequences look blurry, but this could associate to it being a made-for-television feature. Still it stayed interesting enough, despite how the blunt story unfolds with its questions on the political stance, or the morality of innocent life. Even the cautious script felt kind of sub-par. The biggest draw card here though, has to be the well-ensemble cast (even though it doesn't match the one in "Victory at Entebbe") featuring Peter Finch, Charles Bronson, Sylvia Sidney, Jack Warden, John Saxon, Tige Andrews, Robert Loggia, James Wood and a cheery Yaphet Kotto puts a show on whenever on screen. No one really draws much impact because the focus in more in the story than star presences, but the appealing Finch, Bronson, Kotto, Sidney and Loggia are credibly good in their roles. Director Irvin Kershner mechanically lets it slowly boil down; concentrating on a realistic air (well detailed production design) and then goes onto unleash an intensely bold combat climax. David Shire accordingly composes a strong, forward musical piece filled with spirit, and unease.
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stevedgrossman23 July 2022Looks pretty low budget, and rushed.
The casting was done without any connection to the real national origins of the real actors in this drama.
Many of the facts, as we know them, are wrong.
As a bonus, many of the IMDB comments about Goofs and Trivia are completely wrong.
Dora Bloch was born in Jaffa, and traveled with her son. She held British citizenship because of her late husband. -
The saga of Air France Flight 139, a flight that began its journey in Tel Aviv, Israel and was bound for Paris when Palestinian-affiliated terrorists hijacked it and its passengers and sent it to Uganda, riveted the entire world during the early summer of 1976. The lightning raid that the Israel Defense Force conducted to free the plane and its passengers at Entebbe, under the nose of Uganda's infamous military dictator Idi Amin, on July 4th turned that saga into the stuff of legend. Many books had been written about the Entebbe operation (referred to in Israeli circles as "Operation Thunderbolt"); and it would become the basis for several movies, including the 1977 Israeli-made film OPERATION THUNDERBOLT, and, in 2018, 7 DAYS AT ENTEBBE. But the telling of the story to the masses began within mere months of its completion here in the U.S. via two made-for-TV movies. VICTORY AT ENTEBBE was the first of them. The second was RAID ON ENTEBBE.
Like VICTORY AT ENTEBBE, RAID ON ENTEBBE was not only made quite fast, and on a modest budget even for a made-for-TV endeavor, but done with a fairly sizeable cast of solid actors, and with a fair amount of fidelity to the events as most people knew them at that time (the film aired on January 9, 1977, just six months after the saga concluded). Peter Finch, who was to win a posthumous Best Actor Oscar for his famous "I'm mad as hell" role of Howard Beale in NETWORK, got a posthumous Emmy nomination (and rightly so) here for his portrayal of Israeli prime minister Itzhak Rabin, who had the ultimate responsibility to approve Operation Thunderbolt, while Charles Bronson portrays Dam Shomron, the IDF Brigadier General who commanded the raid. Horst Buchholz, who co-starred with Bronson in the 1960 Western mega-classic THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, ably portrays Wilfred Boese, one of the two Palestinian-aligned German terrorists who took over the Air France jet; and Yaphet Kotto makes a very imposing portrayal of the infamous (and murderous) Idi Amin, who gave the terrorists safe haven and the Israeli government a migraine headache that couldn't be solved any other way than with the raid. The all-star cast includes such stars as Martin Balsam, Jack Warden. John Saxon, Robert Loggia, Sylvia Sidney, Stephen Macht, James Woods, and Eddie Constantine.
The film's depiction of the goings-on in Israel and Uganda, while not much terribly different from VICTORY AT ENTEBBE, nevertheless also hew very closely to what we knew then about the whole saga. This is due to the concise screenplay by Barry Beckerman and the tension-filled direction of Irvin Kershner, who had directed films like 1967's THE FLIM-FLAM MAN and 1970's LOVING, and later directed 1978's THE EYES OF LAURA MARS and 1980's THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. The fine, done-on-the-fly music score is by David Shire, who had already done fine work on THE CONVERSATION, THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE-TWO-THREE, and ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN. All of this results in a very solid made-for-TV movie of one of the most intense pre-9/11 terrorist events in history.
RAID ON ENTEBBE gets a high recommendation, and a '10' rating. -
adrianovasconcelos28 February 2024In late June 1976, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP), together with members of a German terrorist group, hijacked an Air France plane with over 150 passengers, just under 100 of them Israeli citizens. Stated Israel policy is that it does not negotiate with terrorists, abductors, and other criminals, regardless of whether its own citizens' lives are under threat. The PFLP and its terrorist chums should have known that, in the end they looked pretty useless and, of course, evil, while Israel scored a memorable triumph with a daring raid on a small airport in a remote area of Uganda, whose President Idi Amin Dada had expelled most foreigners, including all Asians and Jews, from the country in 1972.
Yaphet Kotto completely steals the show as the two-faced Idi Amin, laughing broadly while promising good treatment for the hostages, and noting that more than 50 would be set free. Those freed were not Israeli citizens, of course, with the Ugandan president asserting that the whole incident could be resolved with Israeli goodwill i.e. It had to negotiate with the abductors, who wanted around 200 PFLP and other terrorists released in a number of countries, plus $5 million for the Air France aircraft.
The injustice of the whole incident, the depravity of using common flight passengers as hostages, with Idi Amin giving his blessing and support, had me seething even though I am not Jewish.
Sadly, the film loses some oomph with its overlength. It uses stars like Peter Finch (as then Israeli PM Rabin, looking unwell, would die of heart failure soon after this shoot, missing out on his posthumously awarded Oscar), Charles Bronson (clearly customer bait, the film could have done without his part), Martin Balsam - as makeshit spokesman for the flight passengers -, Sylvia Sidney as the unfortunate old lady who dared interrupt Amin, a very young James Woods, and Horst Bucholz as a terrorist with a conscience who has the chance, but decides not to blow up the passengers. Eddie Constantine is convincing as the honorable and duty-bound Air France airship captain who stayed with the crew and abducted passengers to the bitter end.
Cinematography is average, as befitted a product that went on screen within months of the incident, and the script seems tailored to accommodate useless parts like Bronson's and John Saxon's. The schmaltzy scenes at the end do not gel with the unemotionally and piecemeal planned operation.
All told, it is worth viewing if less than memorable. 7/10. -
raymond-andre23 February 2013After hearing about this film since my early teens, I finally decided to borrow a copy and watch it. I am very disappointed. In seeing my low rating for this film, please bear in mind I saw a horrible transfer.
The night scenes were too dark, even murky, so the whole last section (the raid) suffered for it. This is obviously where most of the TV budget for this went, aside from star salaries. The rest of the movie had washed out colours and the sound was pretty bad as well. Also the DVD extras amounted to a few sketchy cast bios and filmographies.
The film needs a good crisp transfer onto Blue Ray with some extras added, perhaps a little documentary with interviews of some of the participants, both actors and their real life counterparts. This would give the film some historical context for younger viewers. Given the importance of the event depicted, it is a shame to see this movie treated so shabbily.
Nevertheless the film is ageing badly in my opinion. The sets in the early part of the film betray the television budget. The dialogue lacks drama and the Hollywood "Jewish" accents sound cheesy, overall.
Despite its shortcomings there are two or three scenes that are very striking.
The initial reaction of the Israeli citizens when they see the hostage takers setting up tables and calling them out to separate them from the other passengers. Any lines of dialogue "Just like in the Shoah" were not only unnecessary, but insulting.
The death of Yanni was played to perfection by the ever under rated Stephen Macht.
Also his reaction to learning that one of the women passengers has been transferred to a local hospital - you can tell he knows her fate has been sealed.
This story could stand to be told again today, in light of the "war on terror" and much changed American attitudes towards Israel's place in the middle east. -
Hessian49918 September 2001A film that is historically accurate, Raid on Entebbe is engrossing and exciting to watch. The actual raid on Entebbe was itself a very daring rescue, and it translates extremely well to film. Even though you know the outcome in advance, you will find yourself wanting to stay with the film until the end. The actors are all excellent, and the sets extremely realistic. Yaphet Kotto gives a great performance as Idi Amin, portraying the Ugandan president as mix of grandstander, egomaniac, and thinly disguised madman; the movie is worth watching for Kotto's performance alone. While made almost 25 years ago, Raid on Entebbe remains an exciting film that has aged well and is still very enjoyable to watch.
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iloveperth9 August 2005After seeing both versions of the Entebbe movies, 'Raid on Entebbe' is definitely the better of the two. Not only are the production values and sets better, the acting is much more understated and restrained. It really allows the exciting story to shine through.
The performances are really what makes the movie great: Yaphet Kotto is outstanding as President Idi Amin Dada. His fake cheerfulness towards the Jewish hostages is much more frightening than the actual terrorists with their guns. Sylvia Sydney is great as the doomed woman sent to the hospital. As always, Martin Balsam (which is the main reason I watched this) gives a good solid performance as the hostage who develops a sort of uneasy rapport with one of the terrorists, leading to the scene during the rescue mission.
This movie is excellent--a tastefully done account of a real life, courageous mission with an exciting climax. If it's on, I highly recommend it. It's really worth your while. -
sddavis6327 June 2000This was a superb account of the Israeli raid to rescue Jewish hostages held at the Entebbe airport after a hijack in 1976. The dilemma facing the Israeli government as it tried to decide on a course of action was believably portrayed, the plight of the hostages seemed very real, and, even though one knows what the outcome will be (this, is, after all based on an historical event) I was glued to my seat watching. The cast was excellent (I thought Yaphet Kotto did a marvellous job of portraying Idi Amin.) Even Charles Bronson (whom I have never considered a particularly good actor) did a creditable job as the Israeli officer in overall command of the operation. There were, in my view, very few weaknesses to this movie.
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joerau19906 February 2002I first saw this movie as a kid, but didn't remember it until I rented it a few weeks ago. This is a very gripping film, one that manages to get across the enormous amount of stress the Israeli government faced as they decided how to deal with a precarious situation. This mission took a tremendous amount of courage, which is reflected in the film. The scene where the commandos are singing on the plane conveyed the solidarity and stalwartness of the Israeli people as they rushed to the rescue of their own people.
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flashgi7 July 2006While a lot of such Special Forces operations make occur worldwide, their translation into movies may themselves not be so good. Not in this movie's case. The Israeli raid on entebbe is quite unique as far as anti hijacking operations go but this movie is pretty flawless in portraying what and how it happened? Authentic weapons, equipment, aircraft and settings have all been used. The acting is excellent and even the general human reactions to the hijacking have been portrayed quite well and the reality of civilian casualties which occurred has also been included. From beginning to end, this movie never drags and is one of the best I've ever seen.
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hatlad20 January 2016This movie is worth watching if for Yaphet Kotto's performance as Idi Amin Dada if nothing else. He's great in the role.
All the actors put on great performances, but Kotto is just hilarious as was Amin. I mean, the big buffoon billed himself as "His Excellency, President for Life, Field Marshal Al Hadji Doctor Idi Amin Dada, VC, DSO, MC, Lord of All the Beasts of the Earth and Fishes of the Seas and Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa in General and Uganda in Particular," for crying out loud. So anyone with that kind of "personality" (and I use the term very loosely here cause Amin had...shall we say...some real 'issues') has to be played by someone with some real skill and Kotto did a bang-up job.
Not only that bit of color makes this a great movie, but it also gives you a real deep understanding of just what a feat this raid was to plan, get approval and pull off. -
stargirlrk2 December 2002This movie was excellent, even for a 1977 TV movie, and I would recommend it to everyone although it is Out of Print and only available on VHS. You can still find copies of it on eBay and at old video stores. This movie is gripping from the beginning to end with a superb climax rescue scene at the end of the hostage crisis. Anyone should see this movie, particularly those who like military/action movies that are based on true events. THIS MOVIE MUST BE SEEN!
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This is an excellent production based on a real event. Centered around an all-star cast, the acting is as powerful one would expect. This is the true story of the Israeli raid at the Entebbe airport in Idi Amin's Uganda. There had been an aircraft hijacked and taken to Entebbe. The aircraft was full of Israeli citizens and Israel took quick action. The film's (and Yaphet Kotto's) portrayal of Idi Amin pulled no punches and ended up spot-on and Amin was shown to be the evil dictator that he was. Amin delighted in the embarrassment of the Israeli Government. The Israelis knew that if the hostages were going to be rescued, they would have to do it since all the rest of the world wanted to do was talk. The raid is fairly accurately (from what accounts I've read) depicted. All in all, a pretty exciting film. It's well worth a watch.
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vrahul28 November 1998I had no doubts or opinions about the story line since it was based on an actual incident.But the direction was very good and the suspense was steadily built up until the climax. 2 hours of solid,non-stop thrill.
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Lee-6529 December 1999Compared to its other US competitor, "Victory at Entebbe"(1976) this film displays higher production values and more attention to detail than "Victory" does. For instance, the Air France uniforms are much more realistic in this picture, whereas in the other production the costume designers resorted to just using U.S. Navy and Coast Guard shoulder boards. Also Idi Amin (Yaphet Kotto) gets a much better costume, much more realistic than the ridiculous getup Julius Harris had to wear in "Victory at Entebbe".I think the secret is that in doing this picture, and the definitive Israeli Golan-Globus work, "Operation Thunderbolt"(Mivtza Yonatan)(1977); the film makers were given much more time to prepare their production than ABC gave David L. Wolper in doing "Victory at Entebbe", which was shot on videotape like a soap opera, later transferred to film. It is an excellent lesson for film students that time spent on a project avails much. For this picture and "Thunderbolt" are much better films, even though in some respects "Victory at Entebbe" had more "big names" than "Raid" or "Thunderbolt". It seems all to be in the execution.
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ofpsmith31 August 2019Admittedly I haven't done much external research on Operation Thunderbolt (at least not yet) but the consensus view is that Raid on Entebbe is an accurate historical film. It's also weird to think that not one but two films about Operation Thunderbolt came out the same year that it occurred, in 1976. So as a result they made an accurate film with the exception of a few details that hadn't come out yet (such as the murder of Dora Bloch). In 1976 terrorists from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacked an Air France flight from Tel Aviv to Paris shortly after a layover in Athens. Owing to sympathy offered by Idi Amin the plane was rerouted to Uganda and Israeli passengers were forced into a hangar where they still held as hostages. With pressure mounting, Israel launched Operation Thunderbolt to free the hostages. And that's more or less what the film portrays. Charles Bronson and other, less famous names star in the picture like Peter Finch, Yaphet Kotto, Sylvia Sydney, Martin Balsam, Jack Warden, and a very young James Woods. The film also manages to keep up the suspense, not always easy for thrillers based on real events. One somewhat major problem is that the quality (at least on the copy I watched) was fuzzy and looked like the screen of a TV that was playing this film in the '70s. Other than that it's a fairly solid film.