Raid on Entebbe

Based on a real Israeli commando operation, this drama recounts the hijacking of an Air France flight by the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. The plane is flown to Uganda, where the hijackers release many passengers but hold the Jewish passengers and the air crew, demanding the release of imprisoned fellow fighters. Israel's government refuses to negotiate. Instead, a small force of commandos is sent across Africa to free the hostages at Entebbe airport, where President Idi Amin's regime offers the terrorists no obstacle.

Irvin Kershner directed the film, which came before Eyes of Laura Mars, The Empire Strikes Back, Never Say Never Again and RoboCop 2. Barry Beckerman wrote the screenplay, and Daniel H. Blatt and Edgar J. Scherick produced it for NBC. The large credited cast of 41 includes Charles Bronson as Brig. Gen. Dan Shomron, Peter Finch as Yitzhak Rabin, Yaphet Kotto as Idi Amin, Martin Balsam as Daniel Cooper, Horst Buchholz as Wilfred Boese and John Saxon as Maj. Gen. Benny Peled.

Aired in December 1976, the production was made for television and runs 145 minutes. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.7 from around 4,100 votes, while on TMDB it stands at 6 from 59 votes. The larger IMDb sample and the similar figures suggest a modest but consistent response rather than a sharply divided one.