Who Dares Wins (film)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Who Dares Wins is a 1982 British movie starring Lewis Collins, Judy Davis and Edward Woodward. It is based on the elite British Army regiment, the S.A.S (Special Air Service) whose motto is "Who Dares Wins" In the U.S. it was re-titled The Final Option.

The plot is largely based on the Iranian embassy siege in which the SAS stormed the building to rescue those being held hostage inside.

[edit] Synopsis

The British security forces learn that a militant group attached to the anti-nuclear movement plans a significant act of terrorism, however their plant is rumbled 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 (played by Lewis Collins) is picked for the mission and after faking his dismissal from the SAS for beating a visiting Army commander in mountain exercise, he goes under cover to infiltrate the militant groups leader by seducing her. Despite his convincing efforts, he gets caught with meeting his wife. Despite this, the group decide they can use Skellen as a part of their plan and do not let him know that he has been rumbled.

The group kills the secret service go between after tailing Skellen to a meeting and later take his wife and child hostage as part of the plan. However, before he can report what he has found to his superiors, the group hijacks a coach carrying a military band and use their uniforms to gain access to the American Ambassor's residence. They take hostage the residence of the American Ambassador and demands that a nuclear weapon be fired at the Holy Loch submarine base in Scotland. When it is clear that negotiation will not resolve the situation, the SAS (motto: Who Dares Wins) is sent in to deal with the terrorists, during the siege Skellen is disarmed but manages to send a morse light signal through a bathroom window that he is inside. The SAS leader signals back that a raid will begin at 10am and for Skellen to be prepared when the power is cut to the house.

At 10am the house is about to be raided and Skellern disarms a hijacker after being signalled that the SAS raid is about to begin by means of a short blackout. He kills several of the terrorists 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 leader who he seduced and she goes to kill him. As he hesitates she is shot by SAS soldiers and killed - saving Skellen.