Movies News Talk
SAS: Rise of the Black Swan speeds through its second act. The first half of the movie is partly caught in the riddle of exactly who leaked SAS materials. Once the team's traitor's identity is known, though, the action gets much more intense. The discovery that Tom's friend and partner, Declan Smith (Tom Hopper), is actually a double agent employed with Black Swan marks one of the most significant turns that drives the movie into high gear.
Rise of the Black Swan makes clear Declan's acceptance of a bribe from the Black Swans, so compromising his allegiance to his team and nation for financial benefit. Declan is an SAS agent; he makes the financial decision since his allegiances to Britain clearly rank less in importance than money. It also provides a counterpoint to Tom, who is shown throughout the movie to be an unfeeling killer, yet his loyalties are strong.
Though frustrating action movie cliches abound in Hollywood movies, SAS: Rise of the Black Swan and its ending deftly challenge those clichés in a fresh approach. International terrorist Grace (Ruby Rose) dukes it out with Tom in their last climactic confrontation, setting their elite training against one another in a duel to the death in a knock-down-drag-out fight.
Tom emerges the winner, but his victory follows his acceptance of a Black Swan team slot. Grace acknowledges his cold-blooded nature and is not shy to even somewhat criticize him compared to her. Although the "we're not so different, you and I" scene appears in many action films, Rise of the Black Swan really conforms to the cliché by letting its hero and villain share characteristics without being the same.
Both are infamous for their merciless nature, but Tom's comes from a felt sense of obligation to his nation while Grace's comes from a sense of greed. Though the film examines that loyalty with a cynical edge, that quality is maybe Tom's best advantage as he declines to sell out, even for large financial benefit.
Unlike other action movies in which the villain and hero are destined to meet, and the hero is expected to win, the cynical nature of SAS: Rise of the Black Swan and its ending eliminated that certainty. Tom's allegiance to his country is seriously tested with all the disclosures about government corruption and double-crossing; an alliance with Grace could enable him to get retribution of his own. Tom does, however, see the light of day; his struggle with Grace is the exciting high point of the whole movie. When he does kill his opponent at last, he does it in such a vicious manner that he crosses the line.
The whole movie explores Tom's alleged anti-social behavior, and it's reasonable to wonder if he experiences emotions like everyone else. Though that concept mostly addresses the degrading impact of the military, it also makes him an interesting counterpoint to the equally anti-social Grace. He is a more complicated action star than the typical gun-toting hero since his graphic manner of dispatching Grace almost proves everyone is right about him.
Action extravaganzas like SAS: Rise of the Black Swan aren't really known for their deft handling of difficult social issues; movies with stories that highlight mental health are often hit or miss. Consequently, the film uses the antiquated term "psychopath" to describe someone with anti-social personality disorder, and its attitude to the issue is rather dubious. Grace's father talks of what he believes to be a "psychopath," someone who lacks feeling like everyone else. Grace starts to believe she is one such person after absorbing that warped perspective.
Tom and his relationship with Sophie (Hannah John-Kamen) is under a microscope as she struggles with the clinical approach he takes to approach his work, so mirroring that theme. Sophie and others wonder whether Tom can even feel emotions throughout the movie; this apparently supports Grace's assessment when she calls Tom a "psychopath" and performs the armchair psychiatrist. When Tom breaks down after Sophie turns down his first marriage proposal—enough for her to rethink the man and choose to wed him—Tom finally proves them all false.
Naturally, the film oversimplifies the problems of anti-social personality disorder and employs out-of-date language in addition to propagating rather negative preconceptions about persons with ASD. Ultimately, though, Tom is never formally evaluated by a mental health professional; the notion of him being a "psychopath" more accurately reflects the themes of the degrading impact of the military on its personnel.
Andy McNab's book Sas: Red Notice forms the basis of Rise of the Black Swan. The first book in the Tom Buckingham trilogy is here; the second, Fortress from 2014, is Given the numerous Tom Buckingham stories to adapt, it is not surprising that the Rise of the Black Swan ending apparently left the doors open for a sequel.
The SAS: Rise of the Black Swan ending was not only a fantastic time but also obviously opened the door for even more thrill in next releases. Declan and the rest of the Black Swan gang seemed dead following the blast in the train tunnel, but it turns out he is actually monitoring Tom as he and Sophie are getting married in Spain. Tom is then informed of the location of his friend-turned-enemy and it is evident he yearns for some action once more.
Although many movie cliffhangers never answered, SAS: Rise of the Black Swan most certainly won't be Tom's last adventure. Even the choice to call the film Rise of the Black Swan suggests it is only the beginning of a far more expansive narrative, and the use of heady themes cannot be limited to one film. As Tom searches for his old friend, he might learn to connect more with his emotions. There will surely be a host of other turns as a corrupt system tests Tom's loyalties once more.
Though there are some exceptions, the endings of action extravaganzas like SAS: Rise of the Black Swan typically have little to say other than a copious amount of punches and explosions. But Rise of the Black Swan focused on its action by imbuing its ending with ideas outside the conventional revenge-based narratives.
Tom's marriage is the result and payback for his struggle with his own humanity, which is a topic far more broad than the film itself. Should sequels materialize, the first movie will always be about the degrading consequences of war and how it affects the individuals engaged in it.
Based on the British military thriller writer Andy McNab's book Sas: Red Notice, Rise of the Black Swan Though the 2021 film brings the broad-strokes of the book's plot from page to screen, the two have shockingly little in common. If anything, it's easier to explain wheat Rise of the Black Swan and its source material have in common than it is to single out variations.
In both adaptations, Tom is the main character; a bomb on the Eurotunnel is part of the storyline and results from a military incident in Georgia. But this is more or less where the similarities finish. Tom's fatal train trip in the SAS: Red Notice book is cut off when he spots wanted Georgian warlord Laszlo Antonov on the train; it is Antonov who hijacks it instead of a former private military group.
Sophie was developed just for SAS: Rise of the Black Swan; she hardly appears in the book. Tom is heading to France in the SAS: Red Notice book to follow his girlfriend Delphine, who is returning to her country after growing weary of their relationship. Furthermore absent is the whole proposal arc, and Sophie is not the only character not found in the original material. Though should go in expecting quite a different story, overall fans of SAS: Rise of the Black Swan may enjoy the original Andy McNab novel.