This film is a fictionalized account of the story of (one of) the Mossad teams which was sent globetrotting in pursuit of the Black September terrorists who massacred 11 Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village of the 1972 Munich Olympic games.
By fictionalized, I mean that the team members and the exact methods and locations for the assassinations probably do NOT match reality. The factual elements in the film are the Munich massacre, Golda Meir's directive to hunt the terrorists down, the names of the main Black September members involved, etc.
The film deals with the struggle to maintain sanity and humanity while fighting against those who lack decent amounts of each. The film is quite effective in showing the unbearable tension these men deal with in their jobs and how even the slightest mistake can be deadly.
The opening of the film has, in my opinion, some slightly poor production values. It is apparent that NOT a large section of the film's budget went into this section. Afterwards, though, it looks and flows very well.
The actors all do a good job in their roles. The direction is taut, the action strong, and the music is fabulous.
Just hope that the DVD transfer is a good one.
Unforgettable historical drama (expanded!)
Some of the best films are made for television, and this one is no exception.
This film has always been a heart stopper for me and never more than now. Following the events of 09/11/01 and the recently aired documentaries of the tragedy of the 1972 Olympic games, The Sword Of Gideon documents Israel's subsequent counteractions against the perpetrators of Munich. Based on the book "Vengeance" by George Jonas, this classic is brilliantly delivered and features a top notch cast (Stephen Bauer, Michael York, Rod Steiger, Colleen Dewhurst, et.al)
Bauer plays an Israeli soldier hired to head up a secret force of specialists to hunt down the remaining terrorists. However, the assignment soon goes awry and deteriorates into an "eye for an eye" personal quest.
The DVD contains multiple scenes not seen in the VHS version such as extra training sequences with Bauer's character, additional scenes with his wife and his team, as well as extra scenes with Rod Steiger. None of these are crucial to the story, but they do provide some additional detail as well as further depth into the characters and their frustration.
Very interesting movie about a true story
I think this is a fascinating movie. It is based on a true story and I think it should be watched because it is about fighting terrorism, a major American and global issue of our time.
The movie takes place in the seventies or eightees. Sword of Gideon was a famous covert operation of the Mossad, the Israeli secret service, to find and kill terrorists hiding in various European countries who were responsible for previous terrorist attacks that killed civilians, particulary the attack on Israeli athletes at the Munich Olympics in 1972.
A group of agents, led by an IDF officer named Avner, is sent to Europe to locate and kill the terrorists. The terrorists are hiding throughout different cities including Rome, Paris, and others. Each of the agents has special skills. One is an expert in making explosive devices, another in creating documentation, another is a former race car driver (getaway expert), and another is a good agent for securing the scene.
At first, the mission is going well but as time goes on, the agents are somehow being discovered and also killed off one by one while also killing the terrorists.
At the end, relations between Avner and the Mossad deteriorate as the issue is raised: was all the bloodshed worth it.
"Raid on Entebbee" was released shortly after are more hastily released version recounting these events came out -- "Victory on Entebbee." It" is hard to say which version is better (I like them both). I suppose this is simply a matter of taste.
This version of the audacious rescue of hostages held when highjackers working for the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine boarded and high-jacked an Air France plane stopped in Athens, enroute to Paris from Tel-Aviv, recounts accurately the events and response of the Israeli government to another example of the outrageous terror war being perpetrated against Israel (and now many other countries). It is fast moving, action packed, and has an excellent musical score. Peter Finch stars as Prime Minister Yitzak Rabin, with... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Peter Finch - Charles Bronson Director(s): Irvin Kershner DVD Release Date: Released the 23 October 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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On September 5, 1972, eight Palestinian terrorists killed two Israeli athletes and took nine others hostage at the Munich Olympic Village. The event stopped the games, gripped the world, and perhaps for the first time fully illustrated the volatile state of affairs in the Mideast to the world. Kevin Macdonald's 1999 Academy Award(r)-winning documentary painstakingly reconstructs the events, shedding light on what the world saw on television with the exasperating revelation of behind-the-scenes blunders.
This visceral, tense film uses riveting news footage to great effect, weaving in affecting interviews. Macdonald mourns the deaths of the innocent Olympic hostages and dutifully gives a voice to the Palestinian cause through interviews with Jamal al-Gashey, the only survivor of the... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Michael Douglas - Ankie Spitzer Director(s): Kevin Macdonald DVD Release Date: Released the 24 April 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Otto Preminger's 1960 adaptation of Leon Uris's novel is a sprawling 220-minute tale of the founding of modern Israel, starring Paul Newman as a Resistance leader. The film works best as an example of Preminger's estimable skill with all levels of drama and action, but as a reflection upon history it is compromised by stereotypes, unpersuasive relationships, and a certain moral ambivalence about issues related to the subject. There are good and exciting sequences, however, particularly one involving an effort to break through a British blockade and get to the homeland. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Paul Newman - Eva Marie Saint Director(s): Otto Preminger DVD Release Date: Released the 15 October 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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The DVD I purchased from a seller was called,a Slingshot, really nice case, movie excellent in every respect! More Info about this DVD Director(s): Jim Goddard DVD Release Date: Released the 22 November 1999 This item is currently not available.
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Set in Brooklyn from D-Day to the formation of the state of Israel shortly after the war, this movie is about the friendship between two Jewish boys - one modern, the other Hassidic. While much of the movie offers a look into the mysteries of the strict and somewhat isolated sect of Hassidism, there is enough character development with the two boys to keep the movie rightfully centered there and always entertaining. The conflicts between the two boys' cultures, and an even bigger one between the Hassidic boy and his Rabii father, are handled with intelligence and aplomb. There is also a great feel for 1940s Brooklyn. Very well done. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Maximilian Schell - Rod Steiger - Robby Benson Director(s): Jeremy Kagan DVD Release Date: Released the 02 September 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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