SAS Rogue Heroes

Let's get one things straight, anyone with a decent level of WW2 knowledge will pick up on mistakes. Uniforms, weapons,kit,tanks,trucks and even the traits and likeness of the main characters. The BBC don't see to care much for accuracy anymore with their shows. However watch this as Band of Brothers meets Peaky Blinders and you're onto a winner. The characters are all played brilliantly if historically inaccurately. The way they interact with eachother is also very entertaining and has you rooting for this tag tag group from the off. The music in the backround has you tapping your toes as the SAS drive across the dessert on their way to pick a fight with the Axis forces. The gun fights while over the top are a good watch. Switch off and enjoy it for what it is. It's not a master piece like Band of brothers but let's face it what is...

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...

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...

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!