Brilliant and touching

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Its difficult to dispute some or most of the obvious criticisms of this film, that it was made hastily ( for a reason, both 1976 films on the subject were) that it has 2-bit sets, as it would tend to, another thing I find which gives it an odd feel is the lack of score/soundtrack, it has a stage play look....what I find puzzling is that it is found to be far inferior to its rival in any way, which has most of the same faults -and more besides..."Raid has the charisma and presence of action-man Charles Bronson , c'mon, YOU have the late Chuckster in charge of rescuing you from Arabs, Germans and crazy Ugandan dictators if you are ever in that position, you know you want him to-(if the real Israeli government had had Bronson they could have dispensed with the Golani brigade and Paras, C130s and recoilless gun-jeeps and just sent in Chuck with his pump-gun and melon truck to house-fight the terrorists out of existence) But this film despite its TV look is a far better, more exciting, more involving, more colourful script than "Raid..Richard Dreyfuss is pretty matter-of-fact Jewish charismatic and some sort of substitute for Bronson and Woods.I think the criticism of the actor playing Amin is pretty unfair, that his antics were over the top, of course the real Amin was in no way over the top, was he? It may be played a little even-voiced, precise and shrewd sounding by Julius, but I would call it a professional job still, bear in mind in 1976 the outside world had not seen as much of the real Amin as it had later.I can tell you that there was total silence in the cinema as Julius/Amin spoke back in 1977. A good sign.The assault on the airport terminal is VERY exciting and realistic in its muzzle-flashing ruthless flesh-spattering gore,the shock sudden loss of Yoni to a Ugandan sniper's bullet, after the commandos have taken control , is shock and matter-of-fact heroic ...the role of the black Mercedes limo is explained and its ominous silent tarantula-like approach to the terminal is tense, as the commandos leap out blazing at the first of the terrorists lounging outside(yes, they did a number on that blonde Nazi bitch).People really seem to have it in for Linda Blair and her chocolates-it seems nitpicking and perhaps the chocolates reflect something that really occurred on the flight.Jeez, they were Kosha chocolates after all, as she said, but everyone wants to exorcise poor Linda and her sweets. There is the inevitable humanitarian armchair-expert attack on the 'bloodthirsty" Israeli soldiers who cut down 1 or 2 of their own people , after warnings to stay down-hilarious that this time, Israeli soldiers are dubbed monsters for killing their own people instead of the usual innocent Muslim terrorists these days. The humanization of one of the German captors is criticised-but this features even more in the films rival with Horst Bucholz.Perhaps this person actually was a little like this, or just seemed more decent compared to the German woman.If all the terrorists were shown brutal hateful & dehumanised, then the critics would rag on that.This film is the better more entertaining better-written more involving of the first two. Apparently the later Operation Thunderbolt eclipses both.Good for it.

In late June 1976, Air France flight 139--which had some 240 passengers on-board traveling from Athens to Paris--was hijacked by armed Arab terrorists who re-routed the plane to Entebbe, Uganda. All-star political adventure, filmed inexplicably on videotape (later transferred, with poor results, to film), was shown on ABC-TV just a few months ahead of NBC's version of the story, "Raid on Entebbe"; it was a rush job to beat the clock, and it shows. The harrowing facts of the ordeal have a tough time making an impact here, what with Ernest Kinoy's teleplay whipped up on the spot and Julius Harris stepping in for Godfrey Cambridge at the eleventh hour as dictator Idi Amin. The casting is certainly interesting; these stars must have had a vested interest in the proceedings and felt a great need to be a part of the experience, even if three-dimensional roles weren't exactly waiting for them (Kirk Douglas and Elizabeth Taylor, in particular, are poorly used). Some suspense and excitement near the finale, but it's long and talky when it should have been a gripping docu-drama.

If one is a history buff and enjoys reading about and viewing films made about historic events then they will read and view everything they can find on the subject. This film is an account of the Israeli commando rescue of Jewish hostages who were hi-jacked in July of 1976 and flown to Idi Amins Uganda. While this film which boasted an all star cast is clearly inferior to the one which came out a year later and starred Peter Finch and Charles Bronson it still makes for good viewing. It also makes one wonder with the talented cast had more time and perhaps more money been spent on making this version it might have been the best of the lot.

The bargain-basement production values that mark this quickie shoot-em-up, filmed and released literally months after the dramatic Israeli commando raid, would be enough to consign this turkey to the dustbin of TV history. But it gets worse. The audience can play spot-the-star as Hollywood legends Liz Taylor, Kirk Douglas, Burt Lancaster, Helen Hayes etc., turn in embarrassing cameos. Unintentional hilarity is the only possible response to the scene in which Linda Blair offers a box of chocolates to the flight crew and the terrorists holding them at gunpoint. Mirth gives way to anger, however, when the film depicts unruly hostages being deliberately shot down by Israeli soldiers during the rescue scene! With rescuers like these, who needs hijackers? "Raid on Entebbe," which came out a year later with Charles Bronson, is much the superior account of this operation.