On Lewis Collins.
In “The Professionals” Lewis Collins played a tough ex SAS commando soldier who had turned into a secret agent working for the CI5. After the series he tried to cash in on that role by playing the Tough commando soldier in several Italian action flicks.
Code name: Wild Geese (1984), Kommando Leopard (1985) and The Commander (1988) all directed by Antonio Margheriti.
All of these films are good straightforward action, and they star several SW regulars.
And while he was still in “The Professionals” he played a more serious, but similar role in the British film “Who dares wins” (1982).
And to my knowledge he actually passed the selection course for the SAS, only as Ennio pointed it out to be turned down later because of his fame.
I don’t think it’s pretty bad after episode 17 (by counting the pilot as # 1), it is still good. There are a few unnecessary side plots, which means it could have been a bit shorter and more condensed, with maybe 3 or 4 episodes less, but apart from that it is still often excellent, and the ending is absolutely fantastic. The last episode is Lynch at his best.
There are a ton of unnecessary side plots and a good number of them went completely unresolved. The show was pretty tight for the first season, but then come the second they were riding on a wave of popularity and didn’t really know what to do about it (other than resolve the murder mystery they had dragged out too long already). It becomes a sort of farce with many characters acting bizarrely and the introduction of crazy plots which do nothing other than take up screen time.
I did like the ending, and there are some other things, like a cross-dressing David Duchovny, which genuinely entertained. However, the show definitely goes downhill after Leland is arrested.
Something you should rectify very quickly; it’s a masterpiece, and perhaps the summit of Powell’s career.
It was bizarre and crazy and weird from the pilot on. And at least episodes 9 to 17 were at the same level as the first season, if not better.
The only real unnecessary side plots I remember were the one with the adopted baby (which really ended nowhere) and especially the one with James after he left TP (which shouldn’t be part of the series as it is located outside of TP and which is only an ordinary thriller anyway).
Yes, it is not as tight as the first 17 episodes, but we had still much fun with it when I rewatched it with some friends 2 years ago. And it is still much better than most of the other things ever made for TV.
I was expecting this response. It’s true that it was always bizarre, but about halfway through the second season it became more wacky to the detriment of the show, in my opinion. The plot involving Nadine Hurley and her lustful pursuit of Mike Nelson is an example which springs to mind; pointless, unfunny, not particularly entertaining, wildly at odds with the character’s behaviour up to that point; and it went on and on, yet was never resolved.
I agree. It’s only halfway through the second season it started to go wrong.
[quote=“Stanton, post:3565, topic:1923”]The only real unnecessary side plots I remember were the one with the adopted baby (which really ended nowhere) and especially the one with James after he left TP (which shouldn’t be part of the series as it is located outside of TP and which is only an ordinary thriller anyway).
Yes, it is not as tight as the first 17 episodes, but we had still much fun with it when I rewatched it with some friends 2 years ago. And it is still much better than most of the other things ever made for TV.[/quote]
Again, I agree and I had fun with it. It’s still better than most shows, but it has to be said the show lost its way.
Nadine’s transformation was fun for us, but maybe really a bit over the top. Ben’s civil war phase was great and the best was Leo becoming the dignified heir of Frankenstein’s monster.
That’s quite a different statement to calling it “pretty bad”.
I think I got carried away trying to be agreeable. Towards the end of its run the show became a mess of convoluted, meaningless soap opera-style plotlines, which was “pretty bad”. Once the show had to abandon its original premise (the murder of Laura Palmer), it essentially lost direction.
I still managed to enjoy it, but mostly in a kind “Oh Christ, what will they think of this week?” kind of way. The actors and their characters do help to elevate it and earlier parts of the series were so good that it’s possible to forgive quite a lot. The show taken as a whole is of course a classic and bad epsiodes of Twin Peaks are better than good episodes of, say, Beverly Hills 90210. They’re still bad, though.
[b][i]Emerging from the Play for Today anthology series in 1975, Philip Martin’s near two-hour-length play Gangsters proved so popular that a series was commissioned and followed eighteen months later. Following the lead of such gritty cop dramas as The Sweeney, Gangsters revealed a world of racial segregation and ghettos in the style of American television; and it didn’t hold back on the violence or bad language either.
Former SAS officer John Kline (Maurice Colbourne) emerges from prison to find himself employed by DI6 (a highly specialised branch of the CID) as an undercover agent to monitor and report on and intercede, where required, in the events of the Birmingham underworld. However, he soon develops some particularly unpleasant enemies, more often than not, finding himself caught between the two opposing forces.
Featuring all the episodes ever made, it’s time to get (re)acquainted with John Kline in this truly groundbreaking television show.[/i][/b]
It started off as a one off episode from “Play for today” in 1975…
…and went on to have two series, one in 1976 and one in 1978.
I watched the Play for Today episode and I found it quite enjoyable, looking forward to checking out the series.
Remember seeing that series when it was first broadcast. Quite good as I recall.
“Push” very forgettable 4/10
Just finished watching Death Walks at Midnight and The Wanderers . Both recommended, very entertaining 
I just watched “Sunset Boulevard”, great film.
9/10.
A perfect review.
LOL
Who Dares Wins is also with Lewis Collins. I remember there was a Shoot’Em Up Video Game in the 80’s with the same name.
Tenebre again, maybe third time this year already.
Who dares wins (1982)
In German the Movie has the simple title Das Kommando (The Commando). The plot is about a former SAS Officer (Lewis Collins) infiltrates a radical group of communist Peace Activists ::). The group plans to occupy the US Embassy and taking politicians as hostages.
The plot and several scenes (with some weird dancing performances) are hopeless outdated. The best scenes are at the end when the boys from the SAS free the hostages and kill the terrorists. In minor roles Ingrid Pitt and Richard Widmark can be seen. Entertaining but could have been more suspenseful. 
An awesome giallo double feature night with Cat O’ Nine Tails and The Black Belly of the Tarantula 
Watched a couple on tele recently…
Ooh… You are Awful (1972), with Dick Emery. Absolute tosh of course. It’s about a chap being chased by those that are out to kill him, and he has to find a fortune in stolen money. To get to the money he has to track down 4 tattoos that are on the bottoms of some of the dead man’s former lovers.
Hmmmm! Where has this theme reappeared?
Tie a Yellow Ribbon - after the recent chat about Wayne, thought I’d give this a go as it gets good reviews off many of you here. I thought the story was very predictable, but found JW ok. I hated the music, and found the big Irish galoot the most refreshing character. I thought the Indians were treated/handled well - more the victims of circumstance than some other films would have them be. Ok overall - but it only reinforces my love of sws over more traditional cavalry and indian fare.
Watchged dvd of Don’t Deliver us from Evil as recommended by Brother Bill. I have to agree that this is a remarkable film. Enjoyable, quite shocking in parts, erotic and an amazing film about pubescents on the brink of adulthood and getting things wrong through a naivety born of repression. Jeanne Goupil is incredible as the manipulative girl. She’s stunningly beautiful - and thankfully she was 19 or so when she played the part of the younger girl. There’s a great little interview with her on the disc - Great viewing.