Movie Type: Unglamorized Spy Film, Political Thriller
Themes: Whistleblowers, Assassination Plots, Fighting the System
Main Cast: Steven Bauer, Michael York, Peter Dvorsky, Robert Joy, Rod Steiger
Release Year: 1986
Country: UK/FR/CA
Run Time: 148 minutes
Plot
In the made-for-cable thriller Sword of Gideon, a team of anti-terrorist commandos, led by Steven Bauer, sets out to avenge the deaths of Israeli athletes killed during the Munich Olympics of 1972. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Movie Guide
Michael Anderson - Director, Georges Delerue - Composer (Music Score), Trevor Williams - Production Designer, Claude Agostini - Cinematographer, George Jonas - Book Author
Denis Héroux (executive producer)
John Kemeny(executive producer)
Robert Lantos (executive producer)
Written by
George Jonas (novel)
Chris Bryant
Starring
Steven Bauer
Michael York
Robert Joy
Laurent Malet
Peter Dvorsky
Rod Steiger
Lino Ventura
Colleen Dewhurst
Leslie Hope
John Hirsch
Cyrielle Clair
Linda Griffiths
Daniel Alfie
Hrant Alianak
Sonia Benezra
Sword of Gideon is a 1986 film about Mossad agents hunting down terrorists associated with the 1972 Munich Massacre in Operation Wrath of God. It was first shown on the CTV network in Canada as a four hour miniseries and later on the HBO television network. Directed by Michael Anderson and written by Chris Bryant, the film stars Steven Bauer and Michael York. The film is based on the book Vengeance: The True Story of an Israeli Counter-Terrorist Team by George Jonas, an account of the incident which has been criticized by some intelligence personnel as fictional, though because of its covert nature is difficult to prove or disprove. In some countries the book was titled Vengeance: Sword of Gideon, from which the movie title is drawn. The story was retold in the 2005 film Munich by Steven Spielberg.
Plot
Avner, an adept Israeli military officer is selected as the leader of a Mossad team of expert agents for a covert mission to avenge the victims of recent terrorist acts. They are initially successful in their assassinations but as they progress it becomes harder and harder to find their targets and they themselves are targeted with varying success by their enemies. Avner, having lost the majority of his team, begins having doubts about the mission and finally calls it off. He wishes to retire from Mossad and rejoin the regular ranks of the IDF, but his case officer is reluctant to let his most valuable asset go.
