Who Dares Wins

From the deserts of Africa to Iraq, the Special Air Service Regiment of the Brish Army is renowned for their derring-do and never say die attitude. This movie is a dramatization and tribute to the courageous men of the SAS and was probably motivated by the public interest after the real life Iranian Embassy seige in London. Lewis Collins who plays Capt Peter Skellern SAS goes undercover for MI5 the Security Service to infiltrate a violent anti-war "ban the bomb" group planning a big terrorist operation. He becomes intimate with the group's highly sexed but really ugly looking leader. In the final climatic scene, you go into the skin of an SAS Counter Revolutionary Warfare black clad trooper as he takes out the terrorists in the US Ambassador's residence. The action sequences are authentic especially as the technical advisors were serving members of the ultra secretive SAS. The speed of the action sequences are breathtaking especially the "double taps" or 2 shots to the brain technique used by the SAS CRW troopers. Note too the quick entry techniques used like the shooting out of the door hinges by 12 gauge combat shotguns. The techno music is very excitiing and inspiring too. The action movie buff will definitely enjoy this movie. When I first saw this movie in 1982 in England, the Campaign For Nuclear Disarmament supporters actually protested outside the cinema! Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet.

It is scandalous that Amazon is selling this product for $51 (as of May 20, 2010) when the item is available from Amazon UK for $21 (thats including postage to the US)I am guessing Amazon is counting on buyers being too lazy to click onto the United Kingdom link at the bottom of the page when looking for this item.

This movie, titled "The Final Option" here in the United States, is inspired by the SAS rescue of hostages at the Iranian Embassy in London when the British elite paratroopers stormed the building before the world's television camera's in the early 1980s. It is said that producer Euan Lloyd (who also produced classics such as "The Wild Geese" and "The Sea Wolves") registered every title he could think of after the incident, determined that the event would serve as a dramatic movie.

In the UK the movie goes under the title "Who Dares Wins" (which is the motto of the SAS). The action is switched from the Iranian Embassy to the U.S. ambassadors residence (evidently to make it more marketable to a U.S. audience) and the terrorists become nuclear disarmament militants.

In his first major leading role was Lewis Collins who was most familiar to British audiences for his role in the television series "The Professionals" and was among the public's favorite choices to take on the role of James Bond. Here he plays an SAS officer who is assigned to infilitrate the militants group and foil whatever mission they have planned.

The movie is a particular favorite of mine and on this imported British Blu-ray whereas the main feature plays on North American blu-ray players, the special features do not. The commentary however is playable on American Blu-ray players since it is an audio track and is quite engaging and interesting with the director phoning in his comments from New Zealand and producer Euan Lloyd in London.

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Now 25 years since it was filmed in England and Wales, this movie is an as yet "undiscovered" classic. The supporting cast of UK and US actors are instantly recognizable. It includes Richard Widmark, Robert Webber, Maurice Roeves, Patrick Allen, Edward Woodward and Tony Doyle, the latter currently famous for his role in Ballykissangel. While the beautiful Ingrid Pitt plays a very convincing "evil" terrorist who we, the audience, can love to hate.

Other reviewers on this page have been rather unkind to leading lady, Judy Davis, describing her as "ugly". If you click on her credit link at the top of the Amazon page you can see how many movies she's made and how attractive she is, both before and after 1982. Perhaps it is the early 1980s "big" hairstyle and makeup that are not found attractive today. Also, in her role here as a baddy, she sneers her way through the whole movie to impress her leading man, while in doing so repelling us, the audience. The leading man in this movie is played by Lewis Collins, who at that time still enjoyed the notoriety garnered from the very successful "The Professionals" action series.

What drives this movie is the superbly photographed action sequences, that are earthy, realistic and devoid of the modern "Hollywood" treatment where film shots are overly choreographed. The musical score is upbeat and drives most of the action, though the incidental music for a couple of family scenes is a little too syrupy. The tension builds slowly with occasional outbreaks of violence that we see are secretly financed by an organized international group. We see neo-Nazi "skinheads" beat up innocent bystanders and a good old British bobby (police officer) being kicked in the face. Later we are endeared to another unarmed bobby who, despite being repeatedly beaten by terrorists, continues to give words of encouragement to a hostage with a small baby. Thus by the time we approach the climactic events at the end of the movie, we are in no doubt who the good guys and the bad guys are. It is because of the time taken to build this tension that when we finally approach the climax, the urgency feels tangible: you really are sitting on the edge of your seat. I regard the scene where Rosalind Lloyd fights with Ingrid Pitt's character to save the life of her 10 month old baby as one of the most nail-biting sequences ever put onto film.

The first hour of the movie may seem somewhat slow to an US audience as the characterizations are established. Also the anti-Americanism portrayed both in opinions expressed and in on-stage "entertainment" may seem extreme, yet at that time, parts of European society were expressing these kinds of sentiments, and so these scenes should be viewed as authentic.

By today's movie standards, the SAS tactics used look somewhat passé, until you remember that this is the movie in which these tactics were first seen, and that this is the movie that many other have followed.

Numerous people involved in the making of this movie are still alive, including Phil Meheux, cinematographer, Ian Sharp, director, Chris Chrisafis, executive producer, and many of the cast. I personally would love to see the 35mm print remastered to a new DVD, with commentary and extras added. What better time than the 25th anniversary of its theatre release?

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Both discs have the same content 1 has been remastered and the other is the Blue Ray edition.

Its worth watching the film with the commentary on.The films producer actually admits now some 28 years later that the SAS scenes were the SAS and not actors/stunt men.And that Lewis Collins was actually in 21 SQDN.SAS which is the Territorial unit.

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This movie was my first exposure to the SAS and anti-terrorist techniques. While fiction, it is based on the Iranian Embassy siege of the early 80's. It features a decent story, great actors, and cool spy stuff. If your a McNab or Ryan fan you'll like this flick.