“A
soldier in the Special Air Service
Regiment infiltrates a fanatical group
of anti-nuclear radicals calling
themselves ‘The People’s
Lobby’ in
order to prevent them from staging
a nuclear disaster in the gripping
adventure film Who Dares Wins...”
THROWN OUT OF THE SAS FOR GROSS MISCONDUCT against two trainees, Captain
Peter Skellen (Lewis Collins: The Professionals) seduces Frankie Leith
(Judy Davis) with a view to going under cover to prevent the supposed peace
movement, The People's Lobby, from committing an act of terrorism in Britain.
Hardcore revolutionaries are using the peace movement to stage an atrocity in
the UK and the Secret Service's undercover operative has been identified, shot
and killed by a sniper during a violent protest march, leaving no access to
insider information.
“Tense,
exciting and
with a great storyline,
Who Dares Wins
gets the adrenaline
flowing spectacularly...”
The
Secret Service calls in the SAS and Peter must convince Frankie of his loyalty,
telling her he has been thrown out of the SAS and is going through a divorce
— even though he is happily married to Jenny (Rosalind Lloyd) and
has a year-old baby, Samantha (Briony Elliott), and has not actually betrayed
his regiment.
Frankie is smitten with Peter and tells her second-in-command, Rod Walker (John
Duttine), that someone with expert SAS knowledge is an asset. Despite Rod's
misgivings, he and Frankie continue with their plans, ensuring that only the
two of them know exactly what is going to happen.
However, Peter's love for his family is to put them in grave danger and his
carelessness jeopardises the mission, puts his contact Mac (Mark Ryan) at risk
and arouses the suspicion of both Frankie and Rod.
Rod checks Peter out with his own contact in the Ministry of Defence, Mary Tinker
(Meg Davies), but SAS Colonel Hadley (Tony Doyle) has another trick up his sleeve
to confirm Peter's story. He sends the two men Peter tortured, Captain Hagan
(Bob Sherman) of the US Rangers and Captain Freund (Albert Fortell) of the German
GSG9, to Frankie's flat to "get their own back" on Peter.
Frankie and Rod's plan involves taking over the American Embassy where a dinner
is to be held to welcome a delegate of American statesmen, who are visiting
the UK and Europe to inspect present and future missile sites. They will hold
the senior figures, including Secretary of State Arthur Currie (Richard Widmark)
and Head of US Strategic Air Command General Ira Potter (Robert Webber), hostage
while they make their demands.
They want the British government to fire a nuclear missile at a Scottish submarine
base to demonstrate to the world the true level of destruction a warhead of
this kind can cause. And they have given them just eighteen hours to evacuate
the area.
Peter is very much on his own; risking his family, his career and his life to
avert the disaster. With his former comrades and the Police, led by Commander
Powell (Edward Woodward: The Equaliser) and Police Commissioner (Patrick
Allen: Crane), waiting for his signal, Peter's main concern is to avoid
loss of life.
The theatrical release of Who Dares Wins was in 1982 and the story was
inspired by the Iranian Embassy siege in May 1980 which ended with the SAS storming
the building. Producer Euan Lloyd sees the film as a tribute to the anonymous
heroes of the SAS.
A desperate cry for peace or a terrorist atrocity? Tense, exciting and with
a great storyline, Who Dares Wins gets the adrenaline flowing spectacularly,
even thirty years after the film was made.
Who Dares Wins also features: Kenneth Griffith as Bishop Crick; Ingrid
Pitt as Helga; Norman Rodway as Ryan; Don Fellows as Ambassador Franklin; Maurice
Röeves as Major Stede; and Ahron Ipale as Malek.
Filmed on location in London and North Wales and at Pinewood Studios, Who
Dares Wins was based on an original story by George Markstein; Screenplay
by Reginald Rose; Director of Photography is Phil Meheux, BSC; Music is by Roy
Budd with Jerry and Mark Donahue; Produced by Euan Lloyd; and Directed by Ian
Sharp.
*
Paranoia, black ops and espionage combine in Who Dares Wins, an old-school
British action thrill ride film by Euan Lloyd and Ian Sharp released on Blu-ray
by Arrow Video on 8 October 2012. RRP: Blu-ray £19.99 | Running Time: 125 Minutes.
Special features include: High Definition Presentation of the Main Feature
| Audio Commentary With Producer Euan Lloyd and Director Ian Sharp | The Last
Of The Gentleman Producers: A documentary on the life of legendary producer
Euan Lloyd, featuring Sir Roger Moore, Ingrid Pitt, Kenneth Griffith, and more
| Two original Trailers.
Also included are a bonus feature Film: The Commander, another Lewis
Collins action spectacular co-starring Lee Van Cleef and Donald Pleasance, Directed
by Antonio Margheriti aka Anthony M Dawson | Reversible sleeve With Original
and Newly Commissioned Artwork | Collector's Booklet featuring —
brand new writing on Who Dares Wins by Ali Catterall, co-author of Your
Face Here: British Cult Movies Since The Sixties; Euan Lloyd's original
notes from the production; press book extracts; and critic David Hayles interviews
director David Wickes (The Sweeney; The Professionals) about working
with Lewis Collins.
"Tense, exciting and with a great storyline, Who Dares Wins gets the adrenaline
flowing spectacularly" — Maggie Woods, MotorBar
“A
soldier in the Special Air Service