SAS Rogue Heroes

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.

Having read the book this series is based on and having read the incredible bravery of men such as Paddy Maine. I thought Steven Knight and the BBC have done an amazing job of bringing these characters who I had only previously read about bought to life. These men may have been part of the British Army but in reality they were mercenaries, who conducted there own war by there own rules. This really is a high quality production with authentic weapons uniforms all forms of transport. And the raid scenes on the various airfields are as good as anything Netflix or even Hollywood could come up with especially the raid in episode 6 which is truly spectacular.

All the performances are excellent. In particular Jack o Connell as the mad fearless Irishman Paddy Maine. 9/10.

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!

The second series grates with. Jack O'Connells awful faux Irish accent. It's too focused on his character unlike Series 1 which was more rounded. After fifteen minutes he just tires you out with his drawl.

My grandpa was in L Section as it was known in WW2. He wasn't a swaggering cartoon character but the real deal. Quietly stoic and a gentleman.

As for cinematography it is very high quality with good continuity and authentic sets. The costumes are realistic although it was practically unheard of to see a woman in trousers in that period so I would criticise it on that.

Series 2 doesn't have the same energy as Series 1. More dialogue and less action...