Diagonaldi Very well executed

CrawlerChunky In truth, there is barely enough story here to make a film.

Grimossfer Clever and entertaining enough to recommend even to members of the 1%

Neive Bellamy Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Unathanthium Z Violence solves everything in this ham-fisted film. A bunch of left wing lunatics plan to end all war by potentially killing loads of Scots. In a nod to fairness they give the inhabitants of the Scottish town some 18 hours or so to evacuate before they demand the government drop a nuclear bomb on the area. Being left-leaning myself I couldn't countenance such an action without informing the RSPCA as well to ensure that no animals are hurt in this absurd attempt to force world peace on us all.Our rabid right wing government, that Thatcher one remember, is in this situation because these lefties have a bunch of old men and their over-powdered wives at their mercy in the American Embassy. These lefty terrorists aren't real lefties because they shoot up CND signs at target practice so even those with a penchant for peace can take succour in the knowledge that these terrorists aren't really representative of the CND brigade.Inevitably the SAS, the hard men of choice after their riotous escapade in the Iranian Embassy a few years before, are called in. Lewis Collins, auditioning for a role at Madame Tussauds, infiltrates the gang by seducing the main female terrorist played by frizzy haired Judy Davis. This is done so easily you marvel at the lack of ineptitude when it comes to actually plotting the taking of the Embassy. Even though Collins is discovered to be untrustworthy by the group they still take him along, in reality they'd have executed him. Their securing of the Embassy is neatly done but they have no idea how to hold the place successfully. Why didn't they bring gas masks, tear gas was hardly a new invention, did none of them foresee it being used? Again their inefficiency when the SAS break in is startling. There seems to be no plan for such an event. It then becomes a turkey shoot. Not one SAS man is shot so that the action lacks any tension as terrorists are blown away in seconds.There's no emotional depth to the film. Collins never once flinches as he dispatches his former comrades. Did he develop no emotional attachment to any of the terrorists besides Davis? We know he has emotions because at the end he fails to blast Davis to hell, his commanding officer does it for him, rebuking him for his lax response in the face of death.There's some comedy, albeit not scheduled I imagine. The hilarious exchange between Widmark and Davis is as profound as the film dares to get. It's the usual argument between the left and right over nukes. Simplistic it is but then if you listen to politicians you realise that you can't really expect debates so deep they'd leave Noam Chomsky dizzy. Sadly that sort of exchange is what you'd get if you left Jeremy Corbyn and Theresa May locked in a room for three hours with the sole topic of Trident to argue over. More light relief is applied when there is a meeting at a hall attended by a thousand or so pacifists. It descends into a riot, strangely not caused by the anachronistic band who sound like a turgid offshoot of Thin Lizzy. Obviously the Redskins weren't available. It's like 2- Tone or punk never happened.This film makes more missteps than a three-legged elephant in a dance hall.

Gregster-5 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.

Joxerlives 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

rockwellcm-1 I have given this a 8 not because of the acting or the film its self,it was full of goofs,but the story was bang on the mark. How people forget how it was back in 1983 when the film came out if you get yourself along to a disused nuclear shelter like the one in Fife,Scotland (Secret Bunker)and take a look at the posters of all the CND marches,ban the bomb,etc you begin to remember how it was back then and the fear the cold war had on people,it was also a time of extreme Right,and left wing politics in the UK (Skinheads,Anarchists,National Front,and Communist party's) The SAS were also in the news,and the footage was almost like the Iranain Embassy footage at the time complete with Anna Ford news reading for ITNFrom an army point of view,there was some good Accuracys amongst the goofs,the SAS train with live ammo,not blanks,the HQ was correct,the train in the Welsh hills,and they founded the flash bang grenade,the Hotel entry was also correct,blowing the hinges of the front door,with a shot gun,and the SAS train with other international army's (deemed friendly to the UK)the funding for the terrorists was not too far from the real life truth,and it was a time of mercenaries,everybody was hiring everyone who was special op trainedI found the Film'looked' a bit like the Proffesionals TV series at the time in places,and the Music also conveyed this,this was deliberate on Sir Lew Grades part as to make a smooth transition from small screen to Big for Mr Collinsthe real hero in the film is the Scottish actor who plays a fellow solider (of Collins) in the film,who plays it straight and realistic throughoutI have had this film since it came out (2 tapes,and a DVD),not in my all time top 10,but comes out from time to time,to bring back memory's of a forgotten time,and a time of Cold War fearDonald Suttie