SAS: Rogue Heroes

This week I watched the first and so far the only season of:

SAS: Rogue Heroes (2022).

SAS: Rogue Heroes is written and created by the prolific Steven Knight, the man behind Peaky Blinders, Shutter Island, Eastern Promises and much much more. He is also a co-creator of Who Wants to be a Millionaire? One can safely say that Knight knows what he's doing.

SAS: Rogue Heroes takes place in North Africa in 1941. Field Marshal Rommel is hammering the British who in turn don't get anything done. One man, Lieutenant David Stirling (Connor Swindells) has an idea. He has gone through the commando school and understands the value of asymmetrical warfare. He gets in touch with a couple of other officers, Lieutenant Paddy Mayne (Jack O'Connell) and Lieutenant Jock Lewes (Alfie Allen) with the idea of creating a regiment that operates on its own, outside the normal chain of command.

As it happens, the chief of intelligence in Cairo, Lieutenant Colonel Dudley Clarke (Dominic West) has used a phantom regiment to lure away the Germans, that he calls SAS. The two ideas merge and a group of rough, hardened soldier set forth into the desert to blow up planes and make history.

The first season, with six episodes, was made in 2022, but the second season should air later this year, focusing on the European theater of war.

Visually SAS: Rogue Heroes is a real treat, it is simply gorgeous. The stark desert makes for a strong back drop to the action, the humor and the drama. I found nothing to complain about here.

The actors are superb from smaller side roles to the main characters, no one is pointless and nothing is meaningless. Despite being a story about war, there is character development, and lots of subtle details that really flesh out the characters in a wonderfully subtle way.

What really stands out is the music. When the officers are at the Empire Club, the band plays the swing hits of the time, like Benny Goodman and Glenn Miller. But, at certain points the music switches to AC/DC, Motörhead and more. At first this really threw me for a loop, but somehow it really works and allows the creators to make a point. A dangerous journey might start with AC/DC's Highway to Hell and during the complete destruction of a German airfield, they blast Motörhead's Overkill. As a fan of such music I was delighted. Even though it is a brave choice.

So, far so good but are there any drawbacks? Sure. Some of the story beats are really obvious. If a character thinks too much about his love back home, is it a surprise that he's not long for this world? Things like that, that should be shocking, but are pretty clearly telegraphed. Not a deal breaker by any means, but in a show this well made, one would hope they could have been more subtle with it.

So, do I recommend this show? Absolutely! If you have any interest in WWII you need to watch SAS: Rogue Heroes. It's not Band of Brothers good, but it comes very close, and I hope the second season is out soon!

That's that and all that. Join me again next time, and until then, have a great week!