Who Dares Wins (1983)

Just what I expected

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

A flick about the SAS rescuing a handful of high-echelon American and Brit statesmen and military people who are being kept hostage by the People's Liberation Army or the Kill For Peace Movement or the SLA or the Wobblies or some other radical leftists.It's always interesting to see which organization is saddled with the role of villain in these movies. This was released in 1982, when Reagan was president, and America was still carrying baggage left over from the Vietnam War. However, the groups depicted, led by a breathless, determined, and sexy Judy Davis with an American accent, is merely using a legitimate anti-nuclear group as a cover for their violent agenda.This is a common ploy to avoid assigning blame to any member of any political group that might buy tickets to the movie. In Tom Clancy's "Patriot Games," the evil doers are a splinter group of the Irish Revolutionary Army -- not the IRA itself. In "The Enforcer," Clint Eastwood's enemies are a fake revolutionary group only in it for the money. In "Three Days of the Condor", Robert Redford must deal with a secret cabal within the CIA. In "Magnum Force" it's a clandestine death squad within the San Francisco Police Department. It's a radical splinter of Russian terrorists in "Air Force One," not the Russians.The ethnic and racial make up of the heavies are interesting as well. For the longest while they had German accents. We were unable to forgive them for World War II. Ingrid Pitt has the role of the German dominatrix in this film. And one English diplomat tells another, who is anti-war, "Peace in our time?" This is a slur against Neville Chamberlain. He returned from Munich in 1939 with a treaty signed by "Herr Hitler", promising not to invade any more countries, which he promptly did. Chamberlaine has been in disgrace ever since 1939 because everyone now knows that if he had declared war on Hitler in 1939, war could have been averted.I'd like to get down off this platform because I'm not a historian, just a sanitation engineer, which is what we garbage men call ourselves, but it seems my steel-toed boot is caught under the lectern.This movie, like Gaul, is divided into three parts. The first third has a lot of suspense, although the dynamics of the plot are familiar enough. Lewis Collins shams a resignation from the SAS in order to insinuate himself into the enemy's camp. He begins by visiting The Marlboro Club where they hang out, and he stays to watch the show. It's all anti-American, with a deformed Statue of Liberty, and so forth. The principal performer has had dance training. One by one, he lifts his leg and sweeps it in an arc in front of his face. Terpsichoreans call this a "fan" and it's a demanding move. If you tried it, you'd bust your acetabula.The sexual collision of the bland, handsome, inexpressive Collins with Judy Davis is de rigueur. Lucky Lew. Judy Davis, even with that frizzly radical hair, looks like Susan Hayward if Susan Hayward were more predatory. And Davis' American accent is impeccable. "Hand me that gun, will ya?" Lots of mystery and intrigue in Part One.In Part Two, the People's United Front and Car Wash invade the domain of the high muckamucks and there's a lot of suspense. When will the SAS attack? What will happen to the hostages? Will any of the Okefenokee Glee and Perloo Society survive? The last twenty minutes shows us the flawless SAS attack. I kind of like "Black September" better.

It was 1982; Britain had Thatcher, America had Reagan. The Falkland war had just past and there was a strong vein of nationalism within the UK. With that backdrop, we have "Who Dares, Wins" (AKA Final Option). It's too easy to dismiss this movie as a piece of right wing propaganda, but I think that's too simplistic. It was a film scripted in Los Angeles with the usual oversimplification that only the British film industry could carry off, and so was somewhat detached from UK reality, with cardboard cutout terrorists and macho army guys. Lewis Colins, a then well-known UK actor from the TV series the professionals, which had ended production by that time, was cast as the hero. He's more than up to the task, but what a waste of other cast members (Judy Davis, Widmark, etc.).A contemporary TimeOut review described it as "something to offend everyone" - that sums it up.

I was 7 years old when the SAS stormed the Iranian Embassy, watching it live on TV. They seemed like characters from my 'Warlord', 'Victor' and 'Battle' comics brought to life. In the next few years they took part in the liberation of the Falkland Islands and killing of IRA terrorists at Loughgall and Gibraltar. Soon the 'Battle' comic became 'Battle; Action Force' (the British version of GI Joe) of which 'SAS-Force' became my firm favourite. I was too young to see this film at the cinema despite drooling over the posters but when it came out on video I had my older brother rent it for me time after time (oddly 'Dangermouse' was our other favourite pick). Growing up I loved 'The Professionals' and this really is 'The Professionals' movie that never was (the show still being broadcast when this hit the cinemas). Lewis Collins is just perfect in the role. He was a real life Territorial Army paratrooper and legend has it he applied for the Territorial SAS regiments but got turned down because he was too famous for their undercover role. A great deal of the film is highly realistic. The SAS training in the 'Killing House' at Hereford and escape and evasion in the nearby Welsh mountains is spot on. In the 1980s Arab governments such as Libya, Iraq and Iran really did sponsor terrorism in the UK and were supported by extreme left-wing politicians (the 'looney left') in the British parliament. The scene where the SAS storm Skellen's flat in order to rescue his family,(boring tiny holes in the wall in order to insert bugs, blasting in using a shaped explosive charge and killing the terrorists with 'double taps'to the head)is extremely true to life. The sequence where an SAS trooper catches fire whilst breaching the US Ambassador's residence is taken directly from real life events, Sgt John MacCleese of the SAS doing just that at the Iranian Embassy siege. Igrid Pitt's character is very blatantly based on Ulrike Meinhoff of the infamous German Baader/Meinhoff terrorist group. Bad points? Skellen's infiltration method is just plain ludicrous, seducing the terrorist leader in his blazer and tie? Come on, he should have gradually won their confidence by joining the movement at an entry level, handing out leaflets, taking part in marches etc When he rescues the hostage VIPs he should stay with them and protect them rather than take off on his own to hunt down the terrorist leaders. The scene where the SAS troopers dangling from the helicopter blast out the windows with grenade launchers before swinging through them is pure Hollywood. When the assault begins Edward Woodward's police commander should have made sure to phone the terrorists in order to distract them rather than refuse to answer their calls. All told though it's a great film. Some say it's anti-CND but that's not true, we see the terrorist's true colours when they use the CND peace symbol as target practice. It's made quite clear that the Bruce Kent figure disapproves of killing in the name of the 'cause'.I remember watching this with my unit of Sappers with us cheering all the way. When Skellen's character is asked by the terrorist played by Professionals/Dempsey and Makepeace regular Tony Osaba "What's happening?" only to get blown away as a result we all chorused together 'NOT YOU MATE!" So 'Who Dares Wins'? Great film but don't expect subtlety

I used to watch my MGM/UA VHS copy of this film (entitled THE FINAL OPTION) all the time in the 1980s now I have to watch the region 2 DVD as WHO DARES WINS; but who cares . . . its just as great although not enhanced for 16:9. What I love about action films up to 1990 or so is that the good guys are really the good guys and the bad guys are really the bad guys, there's no ambiguity here. The Final Option is a movie that works on many levels culminating with the hero being taken "hostage" by The People's Lobby taking the hero's wife hostage; you have two dramas occurring at once. Judy Davis is awesome as the lead terrorist--she's deep into her character; acts her heart out. And that guy playing the hero, Skellon is really tough and stoic and really James Bond all the way and really in shape too; his wife is really cute. And then we have Helga played by Countess Dracula and Carmilla herself INGRID PITT; a mean, very mean German who wants to literally "shoot the baby"!!!! There's a good catch about where the terrorists are actually getting their money from making us think about the power seekers and who the power seekers really are and how the power seekers are really pulling the strings. Roy Budd's music is truly great for a true action film with a deeper meaning . . . an awful lot of blood squibs in mouths, bleeding lips and so forth. See this movie!!!!