It was 1982. Britain was buzzing, though maybe "buzzing" is a bit too cheerful. The country was fresh off the Falklands War, and everyone was suddenly obsessed with the Special Air Service. Those winged daggers were everywhere. Then came the Who Dares Wins movie, known as The Final Option in the States, and it basically defined how we see special forces on screen for the next forty years.
Honestly, it's a bit of a weird one to watch back today.
Some parts feel like a grit-and-grime time capsule of Thatcher’s Britain, while others feel strangely modern in their cynicism about politics and protest. If you’ve ever wondered where the "tough guy in a black balaclava" trope really started, this is the ground zero.
What Who Dares Wins Was Actually Trying to Do
Most people think this was just a low-budget action flick. They’re wrong. Produced by Euan Lloyd, the guy behind The Wild Geese, this was a movie with a massive chip on its shoulder. Lloyd was famously conservative and wanted to make a film that pushed back against the anti-nuclear movements of the early 1980s. He wanted a pro-military, pro-establishment hero.
He got Lewis Collins.
Collins was already a household name because of The Professionals, but here he plays Captain Peter Skellen. Skellen is basically a proto-James Bond but with more sweat and less quips. He’s tasked with infiltrating a radical anti-nuclear group that’s planning something big. The plot isn't exactly subtle—it portrays the protesters as either naive pawns or straight-up terrorists—but that’s part of its 1980s DNA.
The Iranian Embassy Connection
You can’t talk about the Who Dares Wins movie without talking about the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege in London. That real-life event, where the SAS slid down ropes on live television, changed the British psyche. It made the SAS "cool."
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The film leans into this hard.
The climax of the movie is a direct homage to Operation Nimrod. The producers even hired former SAS soldiers as advisors to make sure the rappelling, the room clearing, and the weapon handling looked authentic. For 1982, this was high-level realism. There weren't many CGI tricks back then. When you see guys crashing through windows with MP5s, that's actual stuntmen doing actual dangerous stuff.
Why the Critics Hated It (and Fans Loved It)
The critics were brutal. They called it "fascist" and "simplistic." They weren't entirely wrong about the politics—it’s about as subtle as a brick through a window. But the audience didn't care. They wanted to see the SAS do their thing.
The movie has this specific, cold aesthetic. It’s gray. It’s rainy. It feels like London in November.
Lewis Collins brings a genuine intensity to Skellen. It’s widely known that Collins wanted to be James Bond—he even auditioned for it—but he was allegedly told he was "too aggressive." You can see that aggression here. He doesn't glide through scenes; he marches through them. This performance is probably why a whole generation of kids growing up in the 80s wanted to join the army.
The Cast You Forgot Were In It
- Judy Davis: She plays Frankie Leith, the leader of the radical group. She’s an incredible actress, and she brings a weird, nervy energy to a role that could have been a cartoon villain.
- Richard Widmark: A Hollywood legend playing the Secretary of State. His presence gave the movie a bit of international "oomph."
- Edward Woodward: Before he was The Equalizer, he was here playing a police commander. He’s great at looking stressed while holding a telephone.
The chemistry between Collins and Davis is... awkward. It’s supposed to be. He’s a mole; she’s a revolutionary. It’s a game of cat and mouse where both characters are kind of unpleasant people. That’s actually a strength of the movie. Nobody is truly "likable" in a traditional Hollywood sense.
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The Gear and the Tactics
If you’re a military history nerd, the Who Dares Wins movie is basically a gear catalog. This was the era of the Browning Hi-Power and the H&K MP5. Before this movie, most people didn't know what an MP5 was. After this, it became the "SAS gun."
The tactical sequences were choreographed by people who knew the drills. You see the four-man stacks. You see the "double-tap" shooting style. You see the gas masks. These images became the blueprint for everything from Rainbow Six to Call of Duty.
It’s actually kinda funny how much this film influenced the look of modern tactical shooters.
Does It Still Hold Up?
Depends on what you're looking for.
If you want a fast-paced, Marvel-style action movie, you’ll probably find it slow. The first hour is mostly Skellen hanging out with protesters and trying not to get caught. It’s more of a spy thriller than a war movie until the last twenty minutes.
But if you like "Men on a Mission" movies, it’s a classic. The score by Roy Budd is iconic—all driving bass lines and tense synthesizers. It builds this sense of dread that pays off when the black overalls finally appear.
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The politics are dated. Let's be real. The idea that every peace activist is a secret terrorist is a bit much. But as a piece of Cold War cinema, it’s fascinating. It represents a specific moment in British history where the country was trying to find its feet again on the world stage.
Common Misconceptions
- It’s a true story: Nope. While it draws heavily on the Iranian Embassy siege for the finale, the plot about the anti-nuclear group is entirely fictional.
- Lewis Collins was in the SAS: He actually tried to join the Territorial Army (TA) SAS after the movie, but he was reportedly turned down because he was too famous. Imagine trying to do a covert op when everyone recognizes you from the telly.
- It’s a sequel to The Professionals: Common mistake. It’s not. It just feels like one because Collins is doing similar stuff.
How to Watch It Today
Tracking down the Who Dares Wins movie can be a bit of a hunt depending on your region. It’s often on specialized streaming services like Arrow Video or BFI Player. If you find a Blu-ray copy, grab it. The 1080p transfer usually cleans up the grain and makes those nighttime tactical scenes look way better.
Watching it now is a lesson in how much action cinema has changed. There’s no shaky cam. No rapid-fire editing where you can’t see what’s happening. The camera stays back. You see the scale of the building. You see the ropes. It’s physical.
It’s also worth noting the soundtrack. Roy Budd's work here is underrated. It doesn't sound like a typical orchestral score; it sounds like a heartbeat. It’s minimalist and effective.
Next Steps for the 80s Action Buff
If you just finished a rewatch of Who Dares Wins and want more of that specific "British guys with guns" vibe, you should look into The Wild Geese (1978) or The Sea Wolves (1980). They share the same producer and a similar "tough-as-nails" DNA.
For those more interested in the real-world history, check out the documentary SAS: 70 Years of the Special Air Service or read Ben Macintyre’s SAS: Rogue Heroes. Understanding the actual history makes the movie's dramatization even more interesting, especially when you see where they stayed true to life and where they went full Hollywood.
Finally, if you can find the original novel The Tiptoe Boys by James Follett (which the movie is based on), it’s a solid read. It’s a bit more nuanced than the film and gives more background on the infiltration process. Just don't expect a happy-clappy ending—this is 80s British grit through and through.