Rogue Heroes (TV Series) Episode #1.4 (2022) User Reviews

Who dares wins.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 29 January 2023]

Stirling is keen to carry on with the mission, in spite of the knowledge that German and Italian forces are now waiting for their attack, he also rules up Paddy Mayne, brining out his competitive side.

Once again, I found myself absolutely captivated, and really surprised at just how good this show is, another truly excellent episode, which will of course be remembered for one big scene in particular.

That big moment, when it comes is quite shocking, it serves as a reminder of just how terrible this war was, the cost of human life was huge. Truly excellent storytelling, those fight sequences looked terrific.

Alfie Allen was awesome, I loved Jock's story, especially the romance.

The choice of music throughout, thru absolutely nailed it, such random choices.

9/10.

Back-To-Back Brilliance!

[ahmadz839 · 8/10 · 15 November 2022]

Back-To-Back brilliance. The fourth episode opts to tell the story in a somewhat different fashion than the last, with the action taking a slight backseat. It's a sobering reminder of the cost of war. Even though this was touched on in earlier episodes, seeing it happen to a character you care about amplifies the emotional impact. The ending leaves you wondering where this team is headed and how things will function from here on out. The humour in "SAS Rogue Heroes" is unique in that it never comes across as frivolous or unserious, and the serious moments are never juxtaposed with humour in a way that feels out of place.

Rating: 8.2/10 (Great)

How do I put this?

[W011y4m5 · 7/10 · 22 November 2022]

On my "SAS: Rogue Heroes" rewatch & upon second viewing, I think my biggest issue is its tone; the raw potential is there for it to be truly great but this continual insistence on keeping the mood light & "laddy" kind of prevents the scenes from playing out as they arguably should, within episodes.

For instance, even the way in which it's shot is disconnected, lacking intimacy; typically you'd go for handheld, close up shots of the actor's faces when capturing a really emotional story beat - to ground the audience firmly in that moment & their performance, with no external distractions surrounding their character's expression - but here, the camera remains noticeably distanced, even in what are meant to be intense sequences capturing what are genuine flashes of inconsolable grief.

Of course, I get that's to maintain thematic consistency & the juvenility of the atmosphere it's attempting to create (reflecting how these men are unable to convey / deal with emotions in a healthy manner) so logically, the creative decision makes sense (because they are also distant & lacking in emotional intelligence - to be able to effectively communicate their thoughts etc. In a meaningful manner) but the resultant inability to connect's damaging because it hinders the audience's ability to invest themselves in the development of these stilted individuals, since they're unwilling to open up.

That may be intentional - to reinforce the purpose of the narrative & the message it's intending to send - but it has consequential disadvantages, as evidenced in installments like this one.

Paddy

[waynemcauliffe-74605 · 9/10 · 27 April 2023]

I know this series is only loosely based on truth but this ep was the best of the bunch so far for me. It was sad to see old Jock die but at least it was true. Paddy always stands out for me. I always liked Jack O'Connell in anything i've seen him in especially the great Northern Irish film '71 but here when he plays the Protestant Paddy Mayne he shines. I've looked up the real Paddy and he was really upper class but Jack plays him as working class Irish with a hatred for the establishment. He makes it work. All the cast is good in this one and i'm looking forward to the next season even though i know liberties will be taken there too.

Episode 4

[Prismark10 · 6/10 · 28 November 2022]

SAS Rogue Heroes does suffer from action in the dark in most of its episodes. This is no different. I just take out my night vision goggles.

David Stirling uses psychology to reign in Paddy Mayne. Utilize Mayne's competitive spirit as to who can have the most kills. Mayne certainly is racking up the body count, a bottle of whisky is just an extra incentive that is not needed.

In this episode, the SAS unit are coming together as a team. They have their own berets and get in a fight over its colour in a bar brawl.

However they also have to deal with their first main casualty on a mission. Jock Lewes buys it and Mayne is distraught about his death.

Although the various personalities shine through, this is episodic storytelling at the moment. It ends with the SAS having to take on French paratroopers for training.

It promises to be a grudge match between Mayne and the French in the next episode.

The dreamer and the madman

[disgracedvicar · 3 November 2022]

The chaps, flushed with success, go back for another go, this time with a bottle of rather fine single malt as a prize for the top scorer in their little game.

So now we get more action but not quite more of the same. The results, in materiel destroyed, are similar but the action scenes are shorter and less habds on. Apart from the killing of a sentry (and the sparing of a dog) we are left to observe from a distance.

This sets the story aside from the usual actioner, the bigger and better explosions, the more frenetic battles and, in my opinion, the story is served well by shortening the destruction scenes. We can concentrate on motivations and character development instead.

This time our heroes triumphal return is halted by a couple of aircraft that weren't destroyed and here the cliched vast balls of orange flame as soon as a vehicle is hit trope comes into play. I do wish that one day someone will have the wit to curtail these Michael Bay tributes and show vehicles being hit and objects exploding as they actually appear.

Not only the vehicles took a hit though, we lost one of our principals, leaving the two polar opposites to snarl at one another in an uneasy truce that seems to break at the end.

David's attempt at designing headgear draws admiring comments from other regiments when the men take a five day leave in Cairo GHQ. The men who receive the comments have bonded through fighting Axis forces, they bond further by fighting the Allies. David, meanwhile, is forced to accept a squad of French paratroopers to train, his independent unit is less free from interference by intelligence and GHQ than he thought. He also discovers that the situation has been manipulated by the woman he is beginning to fall in love with, the 2 i/c of French intelligence.

Less that a happy bunny, he passes the French contingent onto Paddy when he returns to camp. Paddy had spent his leave talking to the ghost of his friend out in the desert. With Lewes gone there is no-one to intervene between the dreamer and the madman.

The question is which man is which?