Mogadishu (5 Stars)

This is a German film telling the true story of the hijacking of the German Landshut plane on a commercial flight from Mallorca to Frankfurt in October 1977. The plane was hijacked by four members of the Palestine Liberation Organisation who demanded the release of nine German terrorists, including Andreas Baader.

After four days the hostages were freed by the GSG-9 (Grenzschutzgruppe 9), a newly formed German anti-terrorism unit. Because of the poor performance of the police in handling the terrorist attack on the 1972 Olympic Games it was decided that a dedicated group should be created to fight terrorism. This was GSG-9's first mission, and it was widely praised as a success. When they stormed the plane the only casualties were three terrorists. One GSG-9 member and one flight attendant were lightly wounded, but none of the passengers were harmed.

The mastermind behind the plane's hijacking was Wadi Haddad, a Jordanian who lived in East Berlin. He was employed by Russia's KGB. Russia denied involvement in the operation, despite information given by double agents stating the contrary.

The day after the storming of the plane Andreas Baader and two of the other terrorists were executed in their prison cells. The official inquest claimed they had committed suicide, but who seriously believes that prisoners in solitary confinement would shoot themselves?

The film accurately portrays the claustrophobia and panic of the hostage situation. One of the female terrorists was hysterical, screaming for no apparent reason. The other woman remained calm. The two men were agitated at the thought they might have to die if their hostage demands weren't met.

The film was intended to be released on the 30th anniversary of the hijacking, but it was delayed because of production problems. This year is the 40th anniversary. The film has a lasting appeal that makes it gripping viewing today.