Reptileenbu Did you people see the same film I saw?

Beystiman It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Phillida Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

eustfam Like the character played by Steven Bauer, Avner--he said he had no answers, just questions. I found this film really fascinating as it was based on real events. Munich didn't quite do it for me. I like this version better. Too much angst in Spielberg's version I think--he tried to be politically correct.Did Golda Meir make the right decision? How does one fight an unseen enemy who has sworn publicly and with terroristic acts, the total annihilation of your country? The Mossad agents were placed in a tight spot...they had to grapple with their consciences... unlike the terrorists who don't care whether their victims are enemy agents or schoolchildren or athletes--in other words, non-combatants.Does the end justify the means. I don't think so. And this is what the film wishes to convey.

wm_ash This film has been released in various lengths. The video release (Cineplex Odeon) in Canada has a length of 150 minutes. The DVD release has a length of 172 minutes and is somewhat confusing. The disk itself shows a Platinum release but the DVD content shows no Platinum logo or trademark whatsoever. The DVD cover shows no company at all. The print quality is fairly good - about par for an Eighties TV production.The film was originally produced for television (HBO in the U.S. and CTV Network in Canada)."Sword" has the same source material as Spielberg's "Munich" and this is reflected in a number of similarities between the two films.At any rate, "Gideon" can stand on its own merits. It is an absorbing film detailing the Israeli response to the slaughter of their athletes at the Munich Olympics.The acting is effective especially Rod Steiger as their Israeli boss and Collen Dewhurst as Golda Meir.Considering the limited budget (compared to "Munich") this is a first rate adaptation of Jonas' book.

bparker225 It seems strange to be writing this now after so long.But, after seeing, MUNICH, I felt compelled to write something. This film remains the best interpretation of those tragic events, even though it was done twenty years ago. I saw Sword of Gideon when it first aired on television. Since then I have seen it several times and never failed to be moved by it. It was unforgettable.Well cast and well acted. The narrative was excellent, the characterizations clearly defined. Steven Bauer did an amazing job. I must say that between MUNICH and SWORD OF GIDEON, Gideon is, for me, by far a superior rendering of an anguished moment in world history. When Steven Spielberg decided to offer his own take on this event, I was optimistic. Ciaran Hinds, Daniel Craig, Geoffrey Rush and Eric Bana are superb actors. But for whatever reason, MUNICH just didn't live up to it's promise. Sword of Gideon was a superior interpretation and well worth seeing, even now. The essential facts of the story are well documented and Gideon does an excellent job of presenting them.

andyetris This made-for-TV movie is based on the book "Vengeance" by Jonas. Both are told from the viewpoint of "Avner" (played by Steven Bauer), an agent in Israel's secret service, who is recruited to lead a covert assassination squad dedicated to eliminating the terrorists responsible for the "Black September" attack on Israeli Olympians in Munich in 1972.Israel launched different initiatives against the "Black September" terrorist organization. Avner's was deeply covert, involving a team of former Mossad agents, officially resigned from the secret agency, who operated completely independently and were paid like mercenaries. In this way the Israelis hoped to avoid disasters like the botched Lillehammer operation that killed an innocent man and resulted in the arrest of agents linked directly to Mossad.Avner and his team create their own mercenary network using Israeli money and set about their eye-for-an-eye operation. However the stress and paranoia of their task begins to eat away at their resolve and, when a team member is himself assassinated, the team takes its own revenge. Soon they feel unable to trust even their own countrymen...The telemovie is well done with good pacing and suspense. The moral and ethical issues that are the central theme are handled creditably and you come to care about the team members. There are strong supporting characters, particularly Rod Steiger as the team's Mossad contact "Mordechai Samuels" and Colleen Dewhurst as Israeli PM Golda Meir. Michael York also turns in a nice performance as the team's explosives expert.