The Final Option

Year:

1982

Duration:

125 min | West Germany:109 min (cut version)

Genres:

Action | Thriller

IMDB rate:

6.2

Director:

Ian Sharp

Details

Country: UK

Release Date: 1982-08-26

Filming Locations: Athenaeum Club, Pall Mall, St. James's, London, England, UK

Earnings

Budget: $6,000,000

Opening Weekend: $750,259 (USA) (18 September 1983)

Gross: $2,108,197 (USA) (10 October 1983)

Cast

Actor

Character

Nick Brimble

Lewis Collins

Judy Davis

Frankie Leith

Richard Widmark

Secretary of State Arthur Currie

Edward Woodward

Commander Powell

Robert Webber

Gen. Ira Potter

Tony Doyle

Col. Hadley

John Duttine

Rod Walker

Kenneth Griffith

Bishop Crick

Rosalind Lloyd

Jenny Skellen

Ingrid Pitt

Helga

Norman Rodway

Ryan

Maurice Roëves

Maj. Steele (as Maurice Röeves)

Bob Sherman

Hagen

Albert Fortell

Freund

Mark Ryan

Mac

Patrick Allen

Police Commissioner

Aharon Ipalé

Malek (as Aharon Ipale)

Paul Freeman

Sir Richard

Briony Elliott

Baby Samantha

Jerry Donahue

Pop Group

Marc Donahue

Pop Group

Gerry Conway

Pop Group

Dave Pegg

Pop Group

Alan Mitchell

Harkness

Richard Coleman

Mr. Martin

Nigel Humphreys

Sgt. Pope

Stephen Bent

Neil

Martin Jacobs

Policeman at Mews (as Martyn Jacobs)

Raymond Brody

Bank Manager

Andrew MacLachlan

Immigration Officer (as Andrew McLachlan)

Oz Clarke

Special Branch Man

Peter Geddis

Butler

Jon Morrison

Dennis

Trevor Byfield

Baker (as Ziggy Byfield)

Michael Forrest

Pickley

Don Fellows

Ambassador Franklin

Alan Gifford

Sen. Kohoskie (as Allan Gifford)

John Woodnutt

Harold Staunton

Michael Godley

MP.

Meg Davies

Mary Tinker (as Meg Davis)

Lynne Miller

Melissa

Christopher Muncke

U.S. Security Man

Anna Ford

Newscaster

Bill Hamilton

Newscaster

Alan Polonsky

U.S. Marine Guard

Martin Grace

U.S. Marine Guard

Tariq Yunus

Terrorist

Bruce White

Terrorist

Patrick Gordon

Terrorist

Niall Padden

Terrorist

Tony Osoba

Terrorist

Glyn Baker

Terrorist

Ben Howard

Terrorist

Alan Renwick

Terrorist (as Alyn Renwick)

Peter Turner

Terrorist

Simon Heywood

Terrorist

Ralph Arliss

Terrorist

Ewan Stewart

Terrorist

Billy McBain

Terrorist

Martin Denning

SAS Technician (uncredited)

Harry Fielder

Policeman (uncredited)

Jillian Gibbs

Girl on Bus (uncredited)

Did you know?

Trivia

After the movie was released, there was a lot of talk about the film's lead actor Lewis Collins being the next James Bond. On the film's audio-commentary, producer Euan Lloyd and Ian Sharp state how they thought Collins would have made an excellent Bond and were both surprised that Collins didn't become the next actor to play him when there was a casting change in the part after Roger Moore. Moreover, also in the cast was Edward Woodward, who was once rumored to be taking over the role of Q in the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough (1999), but this did not happen.

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Debut leading role in a feature film of actor Lewis Collins.

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Producer Euan Lloyd liked casting Australian actress Judy Davis as she was the namesake of legendary actress Bette Davis whom Lloyd was a big fan.

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Goofs

A hovercraft is shown arriving, cars are then shown passing through customs. However the hovercraft shown (an SRN-6) is a passenger-only model and is far too small to carry cars.

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The television newsreader refers to "London Airport". London has had two airports (Heathrow and Gatwick) since 1958. Whilst colloquially Heathrow is sometimes referred to as "London Airport" because it is the closer one to central London, a news report would be more precise.

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During the Embassy storm sequence two dummies are clearly used dangling from a helicopter, representing SAS soldiers entering the building through the top floor windows.

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Quotes

Colonel Hadley: When the SAS is called upon to do what we're trained to do, we have been likened to a surgeon cutting out a cancer. It's a filthy and difficult job. We don't like doing it, but it's our duty.

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Capt. Peter Skellen: I know more about nuclear devastation than you ever will.

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Colonel Hadley: Dead soldiers - live bastards!

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Faq

Q

Who are the SAS?

A

The SAS (Special Air Service) were a British and Commonwealth special forces unit formed during World War 2 to conduct irregular warfare behind enemy lines. Britain, New Zealand and Australia all have their own SAS units expert in counter-insurgency, commando raids and anti-terrorism

Q

How realistic is the film?

A

In some ways extremely so. The SAS training in hostage rescue at the 'Killing House' at Hereford and escape and evasion in the nearby Welsh mountains is very true to life. In the 1980s Arab governments such as Libya, Iraq and Iran really did sponsor terrorism in the UK and were supported by extreme left-wing politicians (dubbed the 'looney left' by the press) in the British parliament. The scene where the SAS storm Skellen's flat in order to rescue his family,(boring tiny holes in the wall in order to insert bugs, blasting in using a shaped explosive charge and killing the terrorists with 'double taps'to the head) is identical to the tactics used during the Iranian Embassy siege. The sequence where an SAS trooper catches fire whilst breaching the US Ambassador's residence is taken directly from real life events, Sgt John MacCleese of the SAS doing just that at the Iranian Embassy assault. Igrid Pitt's character is very blatantly based on Ulrike Meinhoff of the infamous German Baader/Meinhoff terrorist group.

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