User reviews

This is an excellent made for TV movie which will cause even non-Jewish viewers to feel pride. The Isreali government assisted in the production of a similar movie, "Operation Thunderbolt" which is very accurate historically and should also be seen for comparison. That movie used actual Isreali soldiers and several survivors of the incident. "Raid on Entebbe" is a much smoother and more enjoyable production. The cast worked very well together. This was Peter Finch's last movie. Charles Bronson is at his best. An interesting blooper is that Yoni Netanyahu was a Lt. Colonel, but is shown in the uniform of a full Colonel. Don't let that ruin the movie for you, though, it should be in every historical and military collection.

I must say I was pleasantly surprised when watching this, not having expected very much of it. I think I had some kind of trashy midday movie in mind, so it was nice to find 'Raid on Entebbe' was well above expectation.

Firstly, it was nice to find a film based on historic events that adhered to those events (barring minor and inconsequential details). Especially when a film is based on such a sensitive subject as terrorism, one hopes it won't be overblown and over the top. It wasn't – it was a good and even-handed depiction, neither demonizing the terrorists nor white-washing them, but simply depicting factually the actions they took. For a mainly B-list cast, the acting was strong and believable.

So this was a decent, solid movie, well put together and maintaining its entertainment value throughout.

Two made for television movies came out within a year of each other about this incident. Both were good films but this one seems a tad better due to the higher caliber of actors hired. The direction is also better as are the costumes and props used. However don't pass up the other "Victory at Entebbe."

An Air France flight is hijacked by the PFLP the plane has about 100 Jewish passengers. This is the true as well as exciting story of a daring Israeli commando assault on the Entebbe Airport in Uganda to free hostages of a terrorist hijacking . The plane is grounded in Uganda but Israelis would not negotiate . The movie then shows how less than 500 soldiers actually flew so far and rescued the passengers in one of the most successful Military operations in history. The implacable operation is executed by expert Israeli commandos , they carry out the rescue of passengers held hostage by terrorist at Uganda's Entebbe Airport in 1976 .

A compelling actioner all the more gripping because true . It is packed with thrills , action , drama , suspense and nice interpretations . All star cast gives fine acting as well as support cast , such as Martin Balsam , Horst Buchholz , John Saxon , Jack Warden , Sylvia Sidney , Robert Loggia , Eddie Constantine , David Opatoshu , Stephen Macht , and a young James Woods . Peter Finch's final acting role , he would receive a posthumous Emmy nomination just six months after winning his Oscar for Network . Special mention to actor Yaphet Kotto, he is awesome though overacting , he plays Ugandan President Idi Amin, Kotto is actually Jewish . As most of this film was shot at the Stockton Airport in California, it's very obvious that the production had the assistance of the California National Guard that has a facility there. The C-130's are all National Guard aircraft. their camouflage being very different from that of Israel. All of the vehicles were of national guard origin. The Flight Crew shown in the film, with the exception of the "pilot" -who was an extra- , were the actual 115th crew who flew the aircraft in the movie. The motion picture was professionally directed by Irvin Kershner.

The picture is well based on real events , they are the followings : Operation Entebbe was a mission carried out by commandos of the Israel Defense Forces (I(IDF) at Entebbe Airport in Uganda on 4 July 1976. A week earlier, on 27 June, an Air France plane with 248 passengers was hijacked, by members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and the German Revolutionary Cells, and flown to Entebbe, the main airport of Uganda. The local government supported the hijackers and dictator Idi Amin personally welcomed them. The hijackers separated the Israelis and Jews from the larger group and forced them into another room. That afternoon, 47 non-Israeli hostages were released. The next day, 101 more non-Israeli hostages were allowed to leave on board an Air France aircraft. More than 100 Israeli and Jewish passengers, along with the non-Jewish pilot Captain Bacos, remained as hostages and were threatened with death .The IDF acted on intelligence provided by the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. The hijackers threatened to kill the hostages if their prisoner release demands were not met. This threat led to the planning of the rescue operation. These plans included preparation for armed resistance from Ugandan military troops.The operation took place at night. Israeli transport planes carried 100 commandos over 2,500 miles (4,000 km) to Uganda for the rescue operation. The operation, which took a week of planning, lasted 90 minutes. 102 hostages were rescued. Five Israeli commandos were wounded and one, the unit commander, Lt. Col. Yonatan Netanyahu, was killed. All the hijackers, three hostages and 45 Ugandan soldiers were killed, and thirty Soviet-built MiG-17s and MiG-21s of Uganda's air force were destroyed. Kenyan sources supported Israel, and in the aftermath of the operation Idi Amin issued orders to retaliate and slaughter several hundred Kenyans present in Uganda. Operation Entebbe, which had the military codename Operation Thunderbolt, is sometimes referred to retroactively as Operation Jonathan in memory of the unit's leader, Yonatan Netanyahu. He was the older brother of Benjamin Netanyahu, the current Prime Minister of Israel. The narrator of the film states at the end of the film that it's unknown what happened to Dora Bloch -played by Sylvia Sidney-, who had been taken to the hospital. It was later learned that she was murdered in Kampala. Her remains were found outside of Kampala in 1979 and were flown to Israel for burial.

It is like watching a documentary. I watch the History Channel all the time. I love watching War documentaries. This film is like a War documentary with acting. I found it quite accurate on the accounts of what happened. I love the raid. They even have the fake Edie on this one. Way too Cool, what a raid. 6/10

Considering that this movie was made in 1977, surrounding events that happened not to long ago from then, I would certainly place it in a higher position than it currently is. With regards to authenticity, the Israeli and Mossad PR department seems to given full cooperation when it came to all the details surrounding the event because absolutely nothing seemed out of place in the sets. Every piece of equipment, uniform and aircraft were surprisingly authentic. All this would have been useless without a proper cast and the same is most certainly delivered. There isn't a lot of action until the climax but even the slower sequences will keep you gripped until that arrives. This movie is very detailed, realistic and authentic and would be classified as a must watch in my book.

This is by no means a bad account on the legendary true life tale of Israeli special forces rescuing over a hundred hostages from Entebbe airport . However I couldn't help noticing how flat everything seemed . The directing is rather static even during the action scenes , the dialogue is unmemorable but worst of all are the performances - Field Marshall Idi Amin , president of Uganda and uncrowned king of Scotland ( Hope it's not too hot in hell for you Dada ? ) , who wouldn't want to play that role . Unfortunately Yaphet Kotto seems to have been cast at short notice and hasn't put enough charisma into the role , and the other actors don't really stand out , not even James Woods . I guess there was a race on by film companies to get their film out first , and it certainly seems that this film was produced in a hurry . But as I said it's far from being terrible and if memory serves me right it's superior to the version that preceded it and at least it isn't an action thriller in the vein of DELTA FORCE

A film that is historically accurate, Raid on Entebbe is engrossing and exciting to watch. The actual raid on Entebbe was itself a very daring rescue, and it translates extremely well to film. Even though you know the outcome in advance, you will find yourself wanting to stay with the film until the end. The actors are all excellent, and the sets extremely realistic. Yaphet Kotto gives a great performance as Idi Amin, portraying the Ugandan president as mix of grandstander, egomaniac, and thinly disguised madman; the movie is worth watching for Kotto's performance alone. While made almost 25 years ago, Raid on Entebbe remains an exciting film that has aged well and is still very enjoyable to watch.

We know this is based upon true dramatic accounts, and while it does a good job in presenting it, but as for it being entertaining. I have to agree with another user-commenter that the film can at times feel plain in the portrayal of the situation. The rhythm can get bumpy and some sequences look blurry, but this could associate to it being a made-for-television feature. Still it stayed interesting enough, despite how the blunt story unfolds with its questions on the political stance, or the morality of innocent life. Even the cautious script felt kind of sub-par. The biggest draw card here though, has to be the well-ensemble cast (even though it doesn't match the one in "Victory at Entebbe") featuring Peter Finch, Charles Bronson, Sylvia Sidney, Jack Warden, John Saxon, Tige Andrews, Robert Loggia, James Wood and a cheery Yaphet Kotto puts a show on whenever on screen. No one really draws much impact because the focus in more in the story than star presences, but the appealing Finch, Bronson, Kotto, Sidney and Loggia are credibly good in their roles. Director Irvin Kershner mechanically lets it slowly boil down; concentrating on a realistic air (well detailed production design) and then goes onto unleash an intensely bold combat climax. David Shire accordingly composes a strong, forward musical piece filled with spirit, and unease.

While a lot of such Special Forces operations make occur worldwide, their translation into movies may themselves not be so good. Not in this movie's case. The Israeli raid on entebbe is quite unique as far as anti hijacking operations go but this movie is pretty flawless in portraying what and how it happened? Authentic weapons, equipment, aircraft and settings have all been used. The acting is excellent and even the general human reactions to the hijacking have been portrayed quite well and the reality of civilian casualties which occurred has also been included. From beginning to end, this movie never drags and is one of the best I've ever seen.

This was a superb account of the Israeli raid to rescue Jewish hostages held at the Entebbe airport after a hijack in 1976. The dilemma facing the Israeli government as it tried to decide on a course of action was believably portrayed, the plight of the hostages seemed very real, and, even though one knows what the outcome will be (this, is, after all based on an historical event) I was glued to my seat watching. The cast was excellent (I thought Yaphet Kotto did a marvellous job of portraying Idi Amin.) Even Charles Bronson (whom I have never considered a particularly good actor) did a creditable job as the Israeli officer in overall command of the operation. There were, in my view, very few weaknesses to this movie.

I first saw this movie as a kid, but didn't remember it until I rented it a few weeks ago. This is a very gripping film, one that manages to get across the enormous amount of stress the Israeli government faced as they decided how to deal with a precarious situation. This mission took a tremendous amount of courage, which is reflected in the film. The scene where the commandos are singing on the plane conveyed the solidarity and stalwartness of the Israeli people as they rushed to the rescue of their own people.

The saga of Air France Flight 139, a flight that began its journey in Tel Aviv, Israel and was bound for Paris when Palestinian-affiliated terrorists hijacked it and its passengers and sent it to Uganda, riveted the entire world during the early summer of 1976. The lightning raid that the Israel Defense Force conducted to free the plane and its passengers at Entebbe, under the nose of Uganda's infamous military dictator Idi Amin, on July 4th turned that saga into the stuff of legend. Many books had been written about the Entebbe operation (referred to in Israeli circles as "Operation Thunderbolt"); and it would become the basis for several movies, including the 1977 Israeli-made film OPERATION THUNDERBOLT, and, in 2018, 7 DAYS AT ENTEBBE. But the telling of the story to the masses began within mere months of its completion here in the U.S. via two made-for-TV movies. VICTORY AT ENTEBBE was the first of them. The second was RAID ON ENTEBBE.

Like VICTORY AT ENTEBBE, RAID ON ENTEBBE was not only made quite fast, and on a modest budget even for a made-for-TV endeavor, but done with a fairly sizeable cast of solid actors, and with a fair amount of fidelity to the events as most people knew them at that time (the film aired on January 9, 1977, just six months after the saga concluded). Peter Finch, who was to win a posthumous Best Actor Oscar for his famous "I'm mad as hell" role of Howard Beale in NETWORK, got a posthumous Emmy nomination (and rightly so) here for his portrayal of Israeli prime minister Itzhak Rabin, who had the ultimate responsibility to approve Operation Thunderbolt, while Charles Bronson portrays Dam Shomron, the IDF Brigadier General who commanded the raid. Horst Buchholz, who co-starred with Bronson in the 1960 Western mega-classic THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN, ably portrays Wilfred Boese, one of the two Palestinian-aligned German terrorists who took over the Air France jet; and Yaphet Kotto makes a very imposing portrayal of the infamous (and murderous) Idi Amin, who gave the terrorists safe haven and the Israeli government a migraine headache that couldn't be solved any other way than with the raid. The all-star cast includes such stars as Martin Balsam, Jack Warden. John Saxon, Robert Loggia, Sylvia Sidney, Stephen Macht, James Woods, and Eddie Constantine.

The film's depiction of the goings-on in Israel and Uganda, while not much terribly different from VICTORY AT ENTEBBE, nevertheless also hew very closely to what we knew then about the whole saga. This is due to the concise screenplay by Barry Beckerman and the tension-filled direction of Irvin Kershner, who had directed films like 1967's THE FLIM-FLAM MAN and 1970's LOVING, and later directed 1978's THE EYES OF LAURA MARS and 1980's THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK. The fine, done-on-the-fly music score is by David Shire, who had already done fine work on THE CONVERSATION, THE TAKING OF PELHAM ONE-TWO-THREE, and ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN. All of this results in a very solid made-for-TV movie of one of the most intense pre-9/11 terrorist events in history.

RAID ON ENTEBBE gets a high recommendation, and a '10' rating.

This movie was excellent, even for a 1977 TV movie, and I would recommend it to everyone although it is Out of Print and only available on VHS. You can still find copies of it on eBay and at old video stores. This movie is gripping from the beginning to end with a superb climax rescue scene at the end of the hostage crisis. Anyone should see this movie, particularly those who like military/action movies that are based on true events. THIS MOVIE MUST BE SEEN!

I had no doubts or opinions about the story line since it was based on an actual incident.But the direction was very good and the suspense was steadily built up until the climax. 2 hours of solid,non-stop thrill.

Compared to its other US competitor, "Victory at Entebbe"(1976) this film displays higher production values and more attention to detail than "Victory" does. For instance, the Air France uniforms are much more realistic in this picture, whereas in the other production the costume designers resorted to just using U.S. Navy and Coast Guard shoulder boards. Also Idi Amin (Yaphet Kotto) gets a much better costume, much more realistic than the ridiculous getup Julius Harris had to wear in "Victory at Entebbe".I think the secret is that in doing this picture, and the definitive Israeli Golan-Globus work, "Operation Thunderbolt"(Mivtza Yonatan)(1977); the film makers were given much more time to prepare their production than ABC gave David L. Wolper in doing "Victory at Entebbe", which was shot on videotape like a soap opera, later transferred to film. It is an excellent lesson for film students that time spent on a project avails much. For this picture and "Thunderbolt" are much better films, even though in some respects "Victory at Entebbe" had more "big names" than "Raid" or "Thunderbolt". It seems all to be in the execution.