SAS Rogue Heroes

Having watched all 6 episodes of this new series, I can confidently say each chapter continues to build upon the established foundations of its previous installment with a genuine energy & enthusiasm I can't help but appreciate; creator & executive producer Steven Knight partners with the brilliant director Tom Shankland & together, the two of them have taken a risk & approached this adaptation in refreshingly self aware way with their artistic representations of historical events which seem (for the most part) utterly absurd, so neither try & depict them as anything other than that.

In fact "SAS: Rogue Heroes" unapologetically embraces its quirkiness & revels in its own peculiarity, confronting the craziness of its protagonists (& the surreal circumstances they regularly find themselves in) head on, having the bravery to simply enjoy the silliness of its own premise & therefore, never feels the need to compensate by over explaining or complicating anything, trying too hard in order to sell the outlandish narrative to prospective audiences who are watching etc. Ultimately, you either believe it or you don't, it doesn't really care - as long as you're having fun. Any further research (for accuracy) can be done in your own time - but the launch is too busy reflecting the majority of its characters, defying orders & rebelling against conventionality, happily doing its own thing - in spite of what others may think of its creative choices.

Of course, I can comprehend that shift in tone & direction may be a shock for fans of Knight's previous hit "Peaky Blinders" (distinctively serious in its brooding melancholy) since they've grown accustomed to similar "vibes" consistently being present throughout other projects (helmed by the writer) like "Taboo" & his macabre retelling of "A Christmas Carol" (until it almost predictably became his brand) but this arguably seems like the antidote; an audacious divergence from what we'd typically expect from him, acting as a pleasing palette cleanser which is far less heavy & easy to digest. Of course, that's not to everyone's personal tastes (so nobody is obligated to be satisfied by this sudden differentiation), but I like it - & think others shall too. After such a massive cultural phenomenon, I'd additionally argue this thematically feels like the perfect follow-up to that high point in his career; chronicling an ensemble of young, underestimated, mismatched, rag-tag underdogs (descendants from legends) who wish to thrive, carving out a new legacy in their own space, stepping out from under their forebear's shadows, liberating themselves from what they perceive to be the stifling shackles of "normality" & solidifying a possible future whilst freeing each other of the burden of expectation from what came before, in the past. Quite fitting, considering the circumstances of its release, wouldn't you say? One could even surmise the message it conveys is deliberate - especially since tales of journeying in to the desert are often synonymous with finding one's self again, after grappling with loss of / identity.

This action packed WW2 comedy drama is the product of Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight. The look, style and tone of SAS Rogue Hero's match that of its Crime drama sister show. The three Principal lead actors of; Connor Swindles as the charismatic alcoholic toff David Stirling, Alfie Allen as the stern spiritual Welshman Jock Lewes, and lastly Jack O'Connor as the loud brash mad Irish Paddy Mayne. The trio of the Swashbuckler, Strategist, and straight jacket Maddog bash heads as they form the first SAS regiment in Libya behind Axis lines. Each actor plays their respective role brilliantly, however O'Connor brings forth a performance like none he has done before. When you think of actors who are type casted as soldier or military men, O'Connor is definitely apart of that list. Especially with his performances in 71, The man with the iron heart, and Unbroken. But as Paddy Mayne, we see a different sort of soldier. Though his take on the legendary Northern Irish soldier is fictionalised, it is no less stellar and complex. Suffice to say I felt like I was watching Tom Hardy. Whilst I doubt O'Connor was channeling Hardy, i was reminded of Hardy's performances as Alfie Solomons in Peaky blinders and Ron Kray in Legend.

The supporting cast is also well selected, including stars such as Sofia Boutella as French-Algerian spy Eve Mansour (Kingsman, Star Trek), Dominic West as intelligence officer Colonel Dudley Clarke (The Crown, The Wire), and Tom Glynn-Carney as SAS soldier Mike Sadler (The King, House of the Dragon). Also less well known Jacob McCarthy as SAS soldier Johnny Cooper performed very well. Acting as the SAS' Italian translator, he makes himself indispensable at checkpoints when posing as German soldiers.

I watched this mini series on a Friday night straight after work. I couldn't walk away from it so I binged in one sitting. And I recommend that you do the same or at least as soon as possible. Not enough people have seen this Series. However, it has been recently renewed for a second series. Despite the BBC not doing so immediately as I would've expected. I expect that a total of 3 seasons for this program would be natural fit. And I am excited to see what comes next.

OK, I'm not going to claim that this show is a masterpiece or anything. It's just good fun. That's all there is to it - it is an action adventure show set in the past, not that different from the books that made Bernard Cornwell so popular - yeah, it is somewhat historical, it actually does do history some justice, but, first and foremost, it is here to entertain and does it masterfully. It has nice production values, great pacing, well developed characters, impressive action scenes and enough drama to keep a viewer's attention.

A lot of people seem to have a problem with the soundtrack, which, to be honest, I can understand, but I don't think this is a valid complaint - music from the appropriate time period is used whenever that is actually needed. The jazz bands shown in some scenes don't play AC/DC. As for the rest - have you noticed the fact that the soundtracks in historical productions are always anachronistic? What, did you think electric guitars existed in the time of the Vikings? Because they were used heavily (as in heavy metal) in the soundtrack of the show. Did you think there were violins in Ancient Rome? No. The soundtrack isn't supposed to fit the time period where the production is set. It is supposed to fit the scenes it is used for.

As for the dialogue - yeah, the used language is a bit too modern for my taste, but, at the very least, it is lively and very well written. I honestly can't fault it for not being something it's not even trying to be. For what it is, it is quite good.

All in all, the show works very well. It is exactly what the trailers promise - the rock music, the modern-sounding dialogues, the lighthearted tone - it's all in trailers. I think that's what is important. If you don't...

What do you get when you mix Peaky Blinders with The Dirty Dozen? SAS Rogue Heroes!! Is it a serious take on the negativity of war? Absolutely not! It is a booze fuelled romp showing how the SAS came to be. If you want historical accuracy combined with a stern voiceover then please go and watch the accompanying documentary series on the BBC.

I loved it from the word go. Irreverent and funny with the storyline moving right along at a good pace. Perfect casting with plenty of familiar faces who fill out their roles wonderfully. The period details of uniforms and the locations look authentic and are just perfect. No skimping on the budget here! The effects are very good.

A wonderful tale of daring-do with the right amount of comedy thrown in to take the edge off of it.

Stick with it-you won't be disappointed. 👍

Season 2 Update: No idea what happened with this writing for season 2. They've turned Paddy Mayne into a gibberish spouting Irish psychopath with zero self control which is a million miles away from reality (he was in fact a quiet and softly spoken person with a ruthless streak a mile wide - quite different). The fun has been almost entirely sucked out of the show from season 1. It's a lot darker. Yes war is not supposed to be high jinx in the desert but the vibe here is totally different and much poorer for it!

I never heard of Rogue Heroes until recently. I was watching a different show when I came across the trailer to this. It looked good so I thought I'd give it a chance. I'm glad I did because it was terrific. I'm shocked they didn't promote this more because everyone who's seen it seems to love it. It currently has a 100% on RT and a 8.1 here. It tells the story of how David Stirling created the S. A. S. During World War II. I learned a lot about something I knew little about and I was fascinated throughout each episode. It has a great cast led by Jack O'Connell, Connor Swindells, Alfie Allen, Sofia Boutella and Dominic West. If you're looking for a quick series to binge then give this a try. You won't be disappointed.