First few days of the 2024 Paris Olympics were marred by numerous controversies, incidents, and embarrassments, leading many to declare them the most disastrous modern Olympic games in history. However, these unfortunate events pale in comparison to the catastrophe that has befallen 1972 Munich Olympics. Its aftermath is the subject of the 1986 Canadian television miniseries Sword of Gideon.
The series is based on Vengeance, 1984 best-selling book by Canadian journalist George Jonas, which allegedly recounted true events as told by former Mossad covert operative, later identified as Yuval Aviv. In the miniseries, as in the book, his name was changed in “Avner” and he is played by Steven Bauer.
The plot begins in September 1972 when Black September, a militant Palestinian organisation, attacks the Olympic village in Munich and takes Israeli athletes hostage, ultimately resulting in all hostages being killed during a botched rescue operation. In response to this tragedy, the Israeli government, led by Prime Minister Golda Meir (played by Colleen Dewhurst), decides to retaliate by launching an assassination campaign targeting Palestinian officials and activists directly or indirectly linked to the massacre. Avner, an IDF commando unit commander, despite his young wife Shoshana (played by Leslie Hope) becoming pregnant and his disgruntled former Mossad agent father (played by John Hirsch) being against it, agrees to join Mossad and is put in charge of a team tasked with tracking and killing their targets across various European countries. The team, aside from Avner, comprises four specialists – counterfeiter Hans (played by Robert Joy), "sweper" Carl (played by Peter Dvorsky), explosives expert Robert (played by Michael York), and getaway driver Jean (played by Laurent Malet). After initial successes, the team begins to draw attention and becomes a target itself, while Avner starts to question whether the entire campaign will achieve anything more than sparking another cycle of bloody retribution.
Sword of Gideon is relatively obscure, mainly due to George Jonas's book being adapted again in 2005 by Steven Spielberg in a more spectacular but ultimately disappointing feature film called Munich. Despite having lower budgets and content constraints, the 1986 miniseries delivers a solid performance under the direction of Michael Anderson. The production makes use of locations in Canada, New York City, Israel, and various European countries, which adds to the authenticity of the story.
The cast features respectable names such as Rod Steiger as Avner's menacing boss Samuels and legendary French actor Lino Ventura in one of his last appearances as Papa, Avner's enigmatic European partner and ally. However, it is Steven Bauer who truly shines in this miniseries, delivering a convincing performance as the young man torn between his patriotic duty, affection towards his young family, and increasing moral dilemmas brought on by his murderous and increasingly dangerous mission.
The script by Chris Bryant takes the Israeli side by default, which was common for US or Canadian films dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict before the end of the Cold War. Although some nuance is allowed through the protagonist's questioning of his government's policy, these complex issues behind the conflict are never properly addressed in the miniseries. The ending also lacks proper closure and is annoying prolonged, probably due to the need to fit into a standard miniseries format of three hours.
Michael Anderson provides a decent combination of fact and fiction, including numerous suspenseful and emotionally strong scenes. However, the story depicted in Sword of Gideon did not have a happy ending for anyone involved in real life. Watching this miniseries today can be depressing given the ongoing genocidal levels of hate and carnage in that unfortunate part of the world.
RATING: 5/10 (++)
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