Search - Sword of Gideon on DVD

David M. from WALKERTON, IN
Reviewed on 7/8/2012...

I watched this on cable back in the 80's. Not sure if it ever hit the big screen or was made for TV considering the nearly 3 hour movie length. It is still a good movie.

This film was done in 1986 (not sure why the system here does not show that) and was based on the George Jonas book Vengeance, of which my copy is a 1985 printing.

The lead here, Steven Bauer, was Al Pacino's sidekick in Scarface. In fact, all the actors have numerous movies (some TV) to their credit so they are no strangers to the screen.

This was recently redone by spielberg as Munich. Sword of Gideon might have been a better movie. The twist is that someone begins killing the assassination team. Not sure if the book is written like this (I have not read it) or if it was simply Hollywood fluff.

Either way it is worth a look.

Laura-Lee W. (Lollypop) from SACRAMENTO, CA
Reviewed on 7/8/2012...

Great movie based on true events. Starts slow then draws you in to the story. Its 172 minutes and at times seemed the end was near only to carry the tale a bit further.

Colleen Dewhurst is great as Golda Meier although her part is very brief. Rod Steiger plays the head of the Mossad well. The main characters were none I'd heard of making it more credible.

When I ordered the DVD I thought it was about the plan & attack of the 1972 Olympics. Instead it's the "what happened after" story.

Very good, I recommend.

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Unforgettable historical drama

Scott Prazak | Goose Creek, SC USA | 02/10/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"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!"

Well made and exciting

Waldo-6 | 09/28/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"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."

The forerunner, almost a first draft, of "Munich"

TravelMod | New York, NY USA | 04/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"My understanding is that Spielberg based the more recent film "Munich" on the same book that this HBO film from 20 years earlier was based on, which would account for the eerily similar, almost identical, sequence of events and character development. What I found dumbfounding is that not only are the story, the characters, and the incidents the same, but the sequence, some of the scenes, even some of the dialogue, are nearly identical: the early recruitment scene with Golda Meir eating fruit and pouring tea, Avner having bad dreams, the cut-away to exterior shots when explosions happen inside buildings, etc. Munich was a tighter and slightly shorter film and it has Spielberg's panache. "Munich" also has a post-9/11 sensibility that this earlier film of course could not have had. This film is somewhat less conflicted than "Munich" is about good vs evil, revenge vs justice. There is psychological conflict in this film, but we have no doubt about who the good guys and the bad guys are.



This is a bit easier to watch because the gore and violence are circa 1986 HBO, not 21st century for the big screen. The acting, dialogue,and details are serviceable,not with the same subtlety or interest as in the later film.

Despite the wig and prosthetic facial changes, I didn't buy Colleen Dewhurst as Golda Meir for one second, and she didn't even try to change her voice or accent.



The film quality seemed a bit washed out to me. The DVD has no features; the choices are either Play film, or Scene selection.

"