Previous motion pictures have depicted actual events with great success - "All The Presidents Men" and "Apollo 13" come to mind - keeping the viewer engaged even though the outcome is historically known. Previous depictions of the remarkable rescue of the hostages at the Entebbe airport by the IDF have done a good job of portraying the event, even though details may have been altered for the sake of narrative. An opportunity to provide insights into the minds of the terrorists, the hostages, and the Israeli government as well as a clear depiction of the rescue would make for an intriguing motion picture.
"7 Days In Entebbe" is not that motion picture.
For whatever reason the director chose to focus more on the two German terrorists and some dance performance than anything else. There is some attention paid to the debate among Israeli cabinet members, but it is not effective. A few disjointed crumbs are tossed in about what the hostages and crew were going through, and Idi Amin's involvement is mostly glossed over.
Then, what should be the nail-biting, heart-pumping part - the IDF raid itself - is completely sidelined by being intercut with some bizarre new age dance performance which had no apparent connection to the raid. The result is jarring and deflates any tension. If there is an intended "statement" (including the bizarre performance during the credits) it is completely lost on all but the director. There are some unnecessary and disjointed scenes using actual footage from 1976.
To support what other reviewers have stated: watching "Raid On Entebbe" or any of the other previous productions will prove more satisfying. This movie was truly disappointing.
"7 Days In Entebbe" is not that motion picture.
For whatever reason the director chose to focus more on the two German terrorists and some dance performance than anything else. There is some attention paid to the debate among Israeli cabinet members, but it is not effective. A few disjointed crumbs are tossed in about what the hostages and crew were going through, and Idi Amin's involvement is mostly glossed over.
Then, what should be the nail-biting, heart-pumping part - the IDF raid itself - is completely sidelined by being intercut with some bizarre new age dance performance which had no apparent connection to the raid. The result is jarring and deflates any tension. If there is an intended "statement" (including the bizarre performance during the credits) it is completely lost on all but the director. There are some unnecessary and disjointed scenes using actual footage from 1976.
To support what other reviewers have stated: watching "Raid On Entebbe" or any of the other previous productions will prove more satisfying. This movie was truly disappointing.