- "The Final Option" redirects here. For the Hong Kong film, see The Final Option (1994 film).
Who Dares Wins (U.S. title: The Final Option) is a 1982 British film starring Lewis Collins, Judy Davis, Richard Widmark and Edward Woodward, directed by Ian Sharp. The title is the motto of the elite Special Air Service (SAS).
The plot is largely inspired by the Iranian embassy siege, in which the SAS stormed the building to rescue those being held hostage inside. Euan Lloyd, the movie's producer, got the idea for the film after watching the S.A.S. storm the Iranian Embassy on television. But he had to move quickly to prevent the idea being scooped by somebody else. An initial synopsis was created by George Markstein. This was then turned into a novel by James Follett, The Tiptoe Boys, in thirty days flat. Meanwhile, chapter-by-chapter as the novel was completed, it was shipped to Reginald Rose in Los Angeles, who wrote the final screenplay.[1]
Synopsis
The British security forces learn that a militant group attached to the anti-nuclear movement plans a significant act of terrorism, however their plan is unmasked and publicly killed during a protest march. To find out what is being planned, they recruit the services of the SAS. SAS officer, Capt Peter Skellen (Lewis Collins) is picked for the mission. After faking his dismissal from the SAS for beating two visiting counter-terrorist officers in a mountain training exercise, he goes undercover to infiltrate the militant group by seducing its leader. Despite his convincing efforts, he is detected meeting his wife. Knowing this, the terrorists decide they can use Skellen as a part of their plan and do not let him know that he has been found out.
The group kills the secret service go-between after tailing Skellen to a meeting and later takes his wife and child hostage. Before he can report what he has learned to his superiors, the group hijacks a coach carrying a military band and uses their uniforms to gain access to the American ambassador's residence. They take over the building and demand that a nuclear weapon be fired at the Holy Loch submarine base in Scotland. When it becomes clear that negotiations will not work, the SAS is sent in to deal with the terrorists. During the siege, Skellen is disarmed, but manages to send a Morse code light signal through a bathroom window. The SAS leader signals back that a raid will begin at 10 a.m., so Skellen can be prepared when the power is cut.
At the appointed time, Skellen disarms a terrorist. He kills several more in the dining room before rejoining his SAS colleagues who have now entered the house. At the end, he comes face to face with the group's leader. As he hesitates, she goes to kill him, but is killed by SAS soldiers.
The film ends with an on-screen list of notable terrorist incidents accompanied by a menacing rendition of the British Labour Party's Red Flag anthem.
Cast
Critical Reception
A sequel was planned in which Capt.Skellen would lead a S.A.S. team in the Falklands conflict, but because of this film's poor box office receipts the project was scrapped. Despite being the sixth highest grossing movie of 1982 at the U.K box office.
Roger Ebert in the Chicago Sun-Times said, "There are so many errors of judgment, strategy, behavior and simple plausibility in this movie that we just give up and wait for it to end. You know you're in trouble when the movie's audience knows more about terrorism than the terrorists do."[2]
Trivia
- Original music for the film was written by Roy Budd, who also created the famous score for Get Carter.
- The location for the fight at the rock concert is the Union Chapel in Islington. The chapel is little changed today.
Cameos
References
External links
