Victory at Entebbe

In this post-September 11, 2001 climate we are now in, it is important to remember that there have been times in the not-too-distant past when people of decency have fought back against the barbarity of terrorism. Case in point: the Israeli government's lightning-quick raid to save more than one hundred of its own being held by Palestinian terrorists aboard a hijacked Air France airbus at Entebbe Airport in Uganda. It was an operation, nicknamed Thunderbolt, that resulted in few innocent lives lost and, justly, the deaths of the hijackers and their supporters.

The made-for-TV film VICTORY AT ENTEBBE, which somehow managed to get shot, edited, and aired within five months of the July 4, 1976 event, is the first of three films on the subject. It suffers a bit from the faults of being shot so quickly, in a studio, and on videotape (later transferred to film). But it somehow put together a massive all-star cast, one that includes Burt Lancaster, Anthony Hopkins, Elizabeth Taylor, Linda Blair, Helen Hayes, Kirk Douglas, Richard Dreyfuss, and Harris Yulin, among others.

The only actor in the cast who I found to be hammy was Julius Harris. His portrayal of the sadistic Ugandan president Idi Amin was uncharacteristically over-the-top. There isn't the kind of chilling menace that personified this most evil of African warlords of the time.

Despite this, VICTORY AT ENTEBBE is very faithful to this monumental event, and is worth looking over and contemplating after the horrors of 9/11.

I was so amazed when I learned of this event that I found and watched all three of the movies mentioned on this page: Victory at Entebbe, Raid on Entebbe, and Operation Thunderbolt. I have to disagree with one of the other reviewers of Victory at Entebbe.

First General Ariel Sharon is not portrayed in this movie. It is General Dan Shomron. Only the last name was used in the movie, so it was easy to mistake. Second, Was Yoni Netanyahu [removed by reviewer to not spoil it]? I was not there, but all three movies have it that way. Finally, this movie is not "horrible." Yes, some of the actors over do it, but it looks like they did the scenes in one take so we take what we get. It was done on video tape so it looks kind of like a soap opera. But just imagine you are watching a low budget play and give the actors break. It is a drama, and it is entertaining if you are not too critical.

The score, composed by Charles Fox, is very good. So if you have realized that music can make or break a movie, you will not be disappointed. Some scenes are powerful.

As for the other two movies, if you are really interested in this event, Raid on Entebbe is the best of the three, in my opinion. It was done on a bigger budget, and they apparently took their time doing it. It was written with entertaining dialog along with the technical military aspects of which Victory at Entebbe does not go into much detail. The musical score is effectively in the background and not very dramatic. This is the one to see if you want to pick one.

"Operation Thunderbolt" was made in Israel, so I was most interested to see this one. The details of the military action were unique and interesting as were the terrorist techniques, but the rest of the movie was a slow. There is not enough dialogue (unless you understand German with no subtitles) to develop any of the characters other than the hero, Yoni Netanyahu. Stock footage of Rabin and Peres was used to make them a part of the movie, which was not very effective. Much of the time was wasted, in my opinion, on people walking, setting up furniture, and other things that we don't need to see. Although two or three parts had good music, the rest of the music was distracting and unpleasant. [2011 - I have returned to edit this review eight years later. I have softened some of my critical words of "Operation Thunderbolt." I also would like to say that I have since watched the last fifteen or twenty minutes of "Operation Thunderbolt" many times because it is the only one I own. The climax and build-up to it are decent - acceptable acting, music, action, and details. I just skip to this part since I can't stand the rest of the movie.]

True life story - One the most faithful portrayals of Operation Thunderbolt, the celebrated rescue of Israeli citizens on an Air France Flight hijacked by PLO and German terrorist to Uganda, and the daring rescue by the Israeli armed forces.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 12 reviews  2.8 out of 5 stars