Raiders of the lost spark
The story would have been better served by a more straightforward narrative with the emphasis placed on the action sequences
Cert 12A Running time 107 minutes ★★★
There’s a bumpy experience awaiting you on board this downbeat reallife airline hostage drama which is a serious-minded look at Operation Thunderbolt, a 1976 raid by Israeli armed forces as they attempted to rescue a plane-load of civilians.
Four terrorists diverted a Paris-bound plane to Uganda’s Entebbe airport, where they demanded the release of Israeli-held prisoners in return for the safe return of the passengers. And Uganda was ruled by the dictator Idi Amin, who even the terrorists consider a lunatic.
This scenario is so cinematic it has been filmed three times previously, and inspired the 1986 Chuck Norris adventure, The Delta Force. Throw in some great performances and this should be terrific entertainment.
But the producers are best known for romcoms such as Four Weddings, while the Brazilian director Jose Padilha is best known for his woeful 2014 remake of sci-fi classic Robocop.
He is indulged in his almost experimental approach to the material, which means the daring military attack arrives almost as an afterthought.
Also, amid some decent character work, he brings in moments of contemporary dance to examine the relationship between art and war.
However the film is given an emergency airlift by stars Rosamund Pike and Daniel
Bruhl, who are on strong form as the members of the infamous German Baader-meinhof terrorist group, and leaders of the hijack.
Their accomplices are a pair of thinly sketched Palestinians whom the film has little interest in.
However, Brit actor Eddie Marsan is quietly wonderful as the poker-faced Israeli defence minister who insists there can be no negotiation.
The passengers are anonymous pawns of politics and the story would have been better served by a more straightforward narrative with the emphasis on action.
Spielberg’s Munich and Ben Affleck’s Oscar winner Argo covered similar ground far more successfully. Sadly, Entebbe fails to rise to their dramatic heights.