Remakes

Rating: 7/10 (8 October 2006)

Steven Spielberg's remake of the 1986 Sword of Gideon is a fine production but as I watched it the storyline of the 1986 production was being replayed almost exactly. Spielberg shows little in the way of originality in his film. Too bad he didn't acknowledge the 20 year old film as a source. Sword of Gideon is a better title for the piece. The cast was a good one in this latest production of the story of the assassins who hunted down those responsible for the killing of Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Although it is clear what happened at Munich it was not particularly clear exactly how all the athletes were killed nor how many of the killers were killed during the hostage taking. For dramatic effect, I suppose, Spielberg has chosen to present much of this as flashback in the form of nightmares of the Israeli assassin group leader. Detailing of this part of the story up front would have helped the storyline.