Raid on Entebbe (1977) movie review

Entebbe Airport (actual photo, not a film screencap)

Interestingly enough, Raid on Entebbe was filmed and released soon after the real-world event that inspired it: Operation Entebbe.  From Britannica's entry:

Entebbe raid, (July 3–4, 1976), rescue by an Israeli commando squad of 103 hostages from a French jet airliner hijacked en route from Israel to France. After stopping at Athens, the airliner was hijacked on June 27 by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the Red Army Faction (a West German radical leftist group) and flown to Entebbe, Ugan., where they were joined by additional accomplices . . . In response, Israel, on July 3, dispatched four Hercules C-130H cargo planes carrying 100–200 soldiers and escorted by Phantom jet fighters.

If I were to describe this film briefly, it would be "historical drama done right."  Between Titanic sentimentalism and Lincoln stoicism, I'll always vote for stoic facts, since it is in subtle scriptwriting that you can really feel history.  This film tends toward the factual approach, though not in an emotionless way.

Raid on Entebbe is generally regarded as historically accurate.  It avoids creating elaborate backstories for the people it depicts, instead focusing on the innocent civilian victims of terrorism and the incredible rescue led by Brig. Gen. Dan Shomron (well portrayed by Charles Bronson).  The script maintains a good balance between action and realistic buildup; the costumes and cinematography tend towards realism as well.  In this way, you are brought straight to the point of these events, and what you see comes across as fairly convincing, without too much Hollywood to distract.

The human side to this quasi-documentary is just enough to make you care, in the way you would sympathize for the real-life victims.  The passengers are ordinary people, people holding onto a quiet courage under the tedium of uncertainty.  Michel Bacos, the French pilot, chooses to stand by them instead of accepting his release. The disappearance of the elderly woman, Dora Bloch, is heartbreaking (as well as factually correct).  You don't have to invent melodrama to film a historical event - as Raid on Entebbe shows, the reasons for caring about these people are all there in the original.

What about the hijackers?  They seem to be fairly portrayed, as far as their actual deeds allow.  Idi Amin, president-dictator of Uganda, is depicted in a few scenes.  (He is worth reading about; this article from the BBC is a good place to start.)

5 out of 5 stars.  Suitable for family/older kids viewing (due to the subject matter, there are scenes of crossfire).