The new thriller 7 Days in Entebbe is based on the true story of Palestinian and German terrorists highjacking a plane and taking it to Entebbe, Uganda. Jewish hostages were separated from the group and the terrorists told the Israeli government that they would be executed if certain prisoners weren’t freed. This left Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin with the unenviable task of deciding whether to negotiate with terrorists or send a commando unit to invade the Ugandan air field.
Directed by Jose Padilha, the film thoughtfully poses a number of issues for viewers to consider. Is negotiating with terrorists ever worth it? How far do you go to save the lives of innocent people? How far do you go to protest injustices in the world and when do you become what you despise?
The German terrorists (Rosamund Pike and Daniel Bruhl) get the most screen time. Both are left-wing radicals eager to prove that they do more than just talk. Prime Minister Rabin (Lior Ashkenazi) is wary of invading another country and shedding more blood, but Defense Minister Shimon Peres (Eddie Marsan) believes there should be no compromise.
At times, the dialogue is too on-the-nose. There is also some clumsy cross-cutting between a dance performance and a commando raid late in the film. But overall, 7 Days in Entebbe tells an entertaining story. Munich did a better job of covering similar thematic ground, but Entebbe is still worthwhile and relevant.
