View source for Sword of Gideon

{{For|the police novel|Gideon's Wrath}}
{{no footnotes|date=December 2018}}
{{Infobox television
| caption            =
| genre              = Action<br>Drama<br>Thriller
| image              = Sword of Gideon FilmPoster.jpeg
| director           = [[Michael Anderson (director)|Michael Anderson]]
| executive_producer = [[Denis Héroux]]<br>[[John Kemeny (film producer)|John Kemeny]]<br>[[Robert Lantos]]
| producer           = [[George Jonas]]
| based_on           = {{Based on|''[[Vengeance (Jonas book)|Vengeance]]''|George Jonas}}
| screenplay         = Chris Bryant
| starring           = [[Steven Bauer]]<br>[[Michael York (actor)|Michael York]]<br>[[Robert Joy]]<br>[[Laurent Malet]]<br>Peter Dvorsky<br>[[Rod Steiger]]<br>[[Lino Ventura]]<br>[[Colleen Dewhurst]]<br>[[Leslie Hope]]<br>[[John Hirsch]]<br>[[Cyrielle Clair]]<br>[[Linda Griffiths]]<br>Daniel Alfie<br>[[Hrant Alianak]]<br>[[Sonia Benezra]]
| location           = 
| music              = [[Georges Delerue]]
| cinematography     = Claude Agostini
| editor             = Ron Wisman
| company            = [[HBO Pictures]]
| network            = [[CTV Television Network|CTV]]<br>[[HBO]]
| released           = {{Start date|1986|11|29}}
| runtime            = 173 min.
| country            = Canada
| language           = English
| budget             =  
}}
'''''Sword of Gideon''''' is a 1986 Canadian [[television film]] about [[Mossad]] agents hunting down terrorists associated with the 1972 [[Munich massacre]]. It was first shown on the [[CTV Television Network]] in Canada as a four-hour miniseries and later on [[HBO]] in the United States. Directed by [[Michael Anderson (director)|Michael Anderson]] and written by [[Chris Bryant (writer)|Chris Bryant]], the film stars [[Steven Bauer]] and [[Michael York (actor)|Michael York]]. The film is based on the book ''[[Vengeance (Jonas book)|Vengeance]]'' 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 (2005 film)|Munich]]'' by [[Steven Spielberg]].

==Plot==
Avner, an adept Israeli military officer, is interrupted from his service in the [[Israeli Defense Forces|IDF]] by a special request from Israeli Prime Minister [[Golda Meir]] to join [[Mossad]], Israel's intelligence agency. Despite warnings from his father, he agrees to join, and becomes the leader of an elite five-man group assigned to assassinate all of the [[Black September Organization|Black September]] terrorists involved in the [[Munich massacre]]. Shortly before embarking, however, his wife reveals to him that she is pregnant, to Avner's surprise.

The undercover unit is dispatched to Europe, where most of the terrorists are located, and begin assassinating them via firearms and bombs. Initially, they are very successful, but after Avner witnesses one of their targets' wife and daughter crying in the hospital upon learning of his death, he soon begins to question the morality of his mission.

Eventually, the unit becomes wanted internationally for the assassinations, and spies dispatched by Black September are successful in killing most of Avner's team over the course of several months. After a botched assassination attempt of two targets results in the team almost being wiped out, Avner asks the case officer in charge of the mission to abort, and his request is granted, ending the mission with only two survivors.

Upon returning to Israel, Avner's case officer reveals that his Mossad contract length is three years, prompting him to angrily attempt to quit his job and move to [[New York City|New York]] with his wife and infant son. There, he is the target of harassment by his case officer, who attempts to convince him to return to Israel and go on another mission for Mossad. Avner refuses, stating that he only wants to join the IDF and become an officer again. His boss flatly rejects the offer, and withdraws all of Avner's money from his bank account as punishment for violating his contract with Mossad, leaving the family completely broke. However, he purchases and repairs an old apartment, and is able to make a modest living as a taxi cab driver.

As the movie ends, Avner can be seen commanding an IDF armored column through the desert, and a paragraph of text explains that he returned to Israel to command his tank unit during the [[Yom Kippur War]].

==Cast==
* [[Steven Bauer]] as Avner
* [[Michael York (actor)|Michael York]] as Robert
* [[Robert Joy]] as Hans
* [[Laurent Malet]] as Jean
* [[Peter Dvorsky (actor)|Peter Dvorsky]] as Carl
* [[Rod Steiger]] as Mordechai Samuels
* [[Lino Ventura]] as Papa
* [[Colleen Dewhurst]] as Prime Minister [[Golda Meir]]
* [[Leslie Hope]] as Shoshana
* [[John Hirsch]] as Avner's Father
* [[Cyrielle Clair]] as Jeanette Von Lesseps
* [[Linda Griffiths]] as Carl's Widow
* Daniel Alfie as Ali Salameh
* [[Hrant Alianak]] as Wael Zwaiter
* [[Sonia Benezra]] as Mrs. Hamshari

==Home media==
The film was released on VHS by [[HBO Video|HBO/Cannon Video]] under license from [[Home Box Office]]. However, HBO didn't own it and then in 2004 was released on DVD by [[Echo Bridge Home Entertainment]]. Currently, the film belongs to [[Lionsgate Films|Lionsgate]] (via [[Entertainment One]] (formerly [[Alliance Entertainment (Canada)|Alliance Entertainment]])).

==External links==
* {{IMDb title|id=0092038|title=Sword of Gideon}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|sword_of_gideon|Sword of Gideon}}

{{Michael Anderson}}

[[Category:Canadian action television films]]
[[Category:English-language Canadian films]]
[[Category:Films about the Munich massacre]]
[[Category:Mossad assassinations following the Munich massacre]]
[[Category:1986 television films]]
[[Category:1986 films]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Golda Meir]]
[[Category:Films directed by Michael Anderson]]
[[Category:Films scored by Georges Delerue]]
[[Category:Films based on non-fiction books]]
[[Category:1980s Canadian films]]
[[Category:Canadian thriller television films]]
[[Category:CTV Television Network original films]]
[[Category:HBO Films films]]
[[Category:Films about the 1972 Summer Olympics]]