'' 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 and written by Chris Bryant , the film stars Steven Bauer and Michael York . The film is based on the 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 '' by Steven Spielberg
Munich massacre
Munich massacre
Sword of Gideon