A flight you can miss: Rashid Irani reviews 7 Days in Entebbe

Director Jose Padilha struggles to link the dramatic real-life rescue mission from 1976 with the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

movie reviews Updated: Mar 16, 2018 20:09 IST
The film, starring Rosamund Pike and Daniel Bruhl, has a weak opening sequence, but builds to a fairly exciting climax. All in all, though, it’s a turbulent ride to a known destination.
The film, starring Rosamund Pike and Daniel Bruhl, has a weak opening sequence, but builds to a fairly exciting climax. All in all, though, it’s a turbulent ride to a known destination.
7 DAYS IN ENTEBBE
  • Direction: Jose Padilha
  • Actors: Rosamund Pike, Daniel Bruhl
  • Rating: 2 / 5

The real-life 1976 hijacking of an Air France flight en route to Paris and the rescue of passengers held hostage for a week in Entebbe, Uganda, is the stuff of legend.

A couple of middling thrillers (Raid on Entebbe, Victory at Entebbe) have previously recounted the daredevil mission undertaken by an elite group of Israeli soldiers to free the captives. You can now add 7 Days in Entebbe to that list.

Director Jose Padilha, of the 2014 RoboCop reboot, strives to link the tragic event from the past with the continuing impasse in the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The narrative see-saws between a few Palestinian-German radicals determined to secure the release of their imprisoned fellow freedom fighters and the deliberations in Cabinet meetings with then Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

The narrative see-saws between a few Palestinian-German radicals determined to secure the release of their imprisoned fellow freedom fighters and the deliberations in Cabinet meetings with then Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin.

The opening segment that recreates the hijacking is the weakest, devoid of tension or suspense.

The script is riddled with platitudes. Even so, the second half builds up to a fairly exciting climax. The intercutting between a contemporary dance performance in Tel Aviv and the fierce fighting back in Entebbe is particularly noteworthy.

All in all, though, a turbulent ride to a known destination.

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