Who Dares Wins (1982)

[Saucer51]

What do you think of this film? It's a rather gung-ho movie about the SAS starring Lewis Collins. He plays an undercover SAS officer used to infiltrate an anti nuclear peace movement (who also happen to be terrorists).
On one hand it's total schlock. For instance, I found the female terrorist leader quite naive and wondered who would follow her insane objectives, such as detonating a nuclear weapon off of Scotland to show how dangerous they are (!) and also for her believing that the SAS were some autonomous band of mercenaries who steamed into situations when they felt like it rather than being ordered by the Govt. I wasn't aware either that SAS worked undercover. Or am I wrong?
But it is quite a compelling film and leaving aside my aforementioned gripes, it's rather enjoyable. Anyone care to agree or disagree?

[Johnny Townmouse]

I was just talking about this film at length with a friend yesterday.

Judy Davis is typically very good in it, but it has dated terribly. However, at the age of 10, I was utterly besotted with this and wanted to join the SAS. There are some nice action set pieces within the embassy - and the uzis look fucking great. Both this and The Wild Geese were my boyhood war films of choice.

[Jim_MacLaine]

It is very 80's, but the Roy Budd soundtrack is ace.

[Pepotamo1985]

also for her believing that the SAS were some autonomous band of mercenaries who steamed into situations when they felt like it rather than being ordered by the Govt.

Well, officially, the SAS are a regiment of the British Army, but they effectively are a band of mercenaries. They often act without official Govt. sanction or proviso (which, in many cases, the UK Govt. are fairly happy about because it gives them plausible deniability) and occasionally have been alleged to have acted without any kind of Governmental knowledge at all. They do act under official orders a lot of the time, though.

SAS members past and present also participate in covert action overseas and have since the end of WWII. Having been in the SAS looks fucking brilliant on your CV if/when you're applying to a private military company or intelligence firm. David Stirling, the bloke who started the SAS, had his finger in so much overseas fiddling over the course of his life that he makes the entire CIA look like amateurs.

Cohaagen will be able to tell you more. PM him if he doesn't rear his head.

I wasn't aware either that SAS worked undercover. Or am I wrong?

Oh, they very much do - lots of infiltration of IRA/NI militant groups during the Troubles (I'm sure this had continued to the present day) and Islamic terror groups overseas is on record. And that's just the shit we know about...

[batwings]

Oh, they very much do - lots of infiltration of IRA/NI militant groups during the Troubles (I'm sure this had continued to the present day) and Islamic terror groups overseas is on record. And that's just the shit we know about...

That's surprising. Would have thought that infiltrating groups would be a job for MI5 / SIS rather than soldiers from the SAS. I read somewhere about an SAS-trained surveillance unit that operated in civilian clothing in N.I. (14 INT?) but that seemed to be mostly following people iand planting bug in houses rather than having an ex-Para put on an accent and pretend to be a Provo.

As for Who Dares Wins, the bit I remember the most was the scene where Ingrid Pitt has an angry tussle around on the ground with Collin's wife and then is shot in the head by the SAS who come through a hole through blasted through from the adjoining house. Is it on available on Blu Ray?

[Blumf]

For a quick overview of SAS, SIS (that's MI6 to you), SRR and DFS and how they can relate:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2012/10/05/james_bond_007_career_path/

Who Dares Win, nice guilty pleasure. There's also the Roger Moore romp North Sea Hijack that has a similar theme.

[Jim_MacLaine]

It is an enjoyable romp with some highly quotable lines. Davis's "You're a confident bastard", Pitt's "Shut that bloody kid up" and of course the classic "Peter, Move your arse!" spring to mind[nb]well among my friends anyway[/nb].

Under no circumstances watch Collins in Codename Wild Geese though. It is an abomination.

[mobias]

Yeah this brings back memories of being allowed to stay up late watching it when I was about 12. There was something really dirty about Judy Davis. It was quite a major film of its day I seem to remember. Lewis Collins was a real TV star at the time.

The best thing about it was the funky as hell sound track  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD4GanOv-Ok

[Kane Jones]

This must've been on telly around Christmas in the mid-eighties, as I remember watching it and enjoying it but my Mum clearly thinking it wasn't particularly appropriate for a ten year old. 

Having said that, she let me watch Salem's Lot round about the same time, so I guess she was just a bad[nb]cool[/nb] parent.

[Catalogue Trousers]

Jim_MacLaine is absolutely right about the score - a bloody corker. I wonder if Budd ever knew about those cheeky Comic Strip coves ripping off the main theme for the montage of Bonehead and Foyle careering around London in their pants in The Bullshitters?...

[kidsick5000]

The best thing about it was the funky as hell sound track  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pD4GanOv-Ok

You're right that it's the best thing. Even as a youngster I can remember being disappointed and how something about it didn't feel right.
Watching it a few years back it became clear that it's from that period when Britain didn't know how to make films properly, just very long TV shows.
So how come Lewis Collins didn't make the leap? Bit of an arse to work with? To short? Wanted to play being James Bond too much?

[Jim_MacLaine]

Well he did audition for Bond by all accounts. Oh and my mate's worked with him and says he's a lovely fella/down to earth etc so I dunno why he didn't make the leap.

Maybe it was Codename Wild Geese that finished his career.

[monkfromhavana]

This is my kind of film.

Surprisingly though, i've never seen it.

Lewis Collins was also in the running to be The Beatles drummer, but Pete Best pipped him I think.

He also did a turn on the Cluedo themed gameshow "Clue" in the early 90s that I loved  despite it being absolute fucking shite.