THE FINAL OPTION, like RED DAWN and THE SOLDIER, was a product of that long-ago era called The Cold War. A lot of people today seem to forget that there really were groups like the movie's The People's Lobby, and the Nuclear Disarmament movement was going hot and heavy. And it's true that the Soviet Union, through the KGB and the other East Bloc intelligence agencies, funded these groups, and terrorist outfits like the Baader-Meinhof and the Red Brigades. So there's a background to this story. And, really, it's not too bad. The acting is pretty decent, especially Edward Woodward (who would go on to do BREAKER MORANT and TV's THE EQUALIZER). However, I think that they could have infiltrated Skellen into the bad guys without beating the snot out of those two unsuspecting exchange officers (especially the rather wimpy looking US "Ranger" Captain). But what really makes the film is the climactic assault on and clearing of the US Ambassador's residence. Of course, this is based upon the assault on the Iranian Embassy in 1980. Still, it looks great, and also seems very realistic. For example, no SAS troopers are killed by the terrorists, but one is injured going through a flaming window. And, unlike your average American hero, or member of THE A-TEAM, you see Skellen reload his empty MAC-10. As for any nay-sayers who wonder why the SAS guys don't get shot, it's a fact that when an entry team does its job right, and the opposition is basically untrained, the advantage always goes to the side with the training and the surprise. I'd like to see a new SAS movie, if it's made by the same team. These British film makers do a better job than our own American ones, because they go for realistic, plausible action and plots, rather than the overblown, hyper, unrealistic stories that Hollywood loves to make. Mind you, I love movies like DIE HARD, LETHAL WEAPON, and such, but it's refreshing to see something that looks like a training film done right.
Review of The Final Option
