Who Dares Wins ★★★

WHY the British action thriller Who Dares Wins didn’t stick to its historical context is a bit of a mystery.

Released in 1982, the film is ‘loosely’ based on the actions of the British Army’s Special Air Service that ended the 1980 Iranian Embassy siege in central London.

But the screenwriters and director Ian Sharp took the meaning of ‘loosely’ to the extreme and in the end the only similarity is the fact the SAS are called in to end a siege.

Instead of Middle Eastern terrorists we are led to believe that a group of English nuclear disarmament radicals would be committed enough to attack the official residence of the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom and demand the world’s total disarmament or they will start killing hostages.

Australian actress Judy Dench does her best to make the siege leader believable, but the script fails to cogently explain the whys and wherefores of the operation’s funding and other motivations in play.

SAS Captain Peter Skellen, who goes undercover to investigate the group, is played by Lewis Collins who was riding high at the time due to his action television series The Professionals. Collins cuts a good figure as a professional elite soldier and there are some in testing aspects to the story of how he infiltrates the group.

The film also includes appearances from Richard Widmark and Edward Woodward that add some gravitas and bite to the philosophical debate that occurs during the siege and the final action sequence is well staged and exciting in parts.

On release the film bombed at the box office and was criticised as being right-wing for making anti-nuke activities the bad guys.

Watched on YouTube (yes, it’s hard to get hold off).