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89 of 91 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unforgettable historical drama, February 10, 2002
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. This film is very hard to find but well worth the search. Don't miss it!
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23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well made and exciting, September 28, 2005
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.
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unforgettable historical drama (expanded!), April 6, 2005
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.
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