Operation Thunderbolt

Who needs another Entebbe raid film? Following Raid on Entebbe and Victory at Entebbe, this official Israeli version does rather have the look of yesterday's news despite Golan's efforts to build an immediacy through use of reaction shots and fast editing. The script wisely concentrates on the general plight of the hijacked instead of opting for the usual disaster movie composition of individual experiences. The result at least has more cohesion than Victory at Entebbe. Two strikes against it are its dreadful score and Mark Heath's Idi Amin; compensation comes with Kinski's haunted, cryptic performance as the hijack leader, giving the film a much-needed dramatic centre.