Original subtitles

I don't trust you to draw the line:

knowing the difference between enemy and friend and all those in between.

Oh, gravel will continue to be thrown.

Right, men. Round them up.

The real fellas made a tactical withdrawal,

which means they'll regroup and counterattack.

Every man for himself!

I'm offering my surrender.

The famous SAS, huh?

These are the last moments of your lives

when you won't have images of drowning men

stuck inside your head.

I still hear the voices, Father.

They're leaving us to drown!

Help!

Hey!

Whoa!

Was my brother in love with you, do you think?

Or should the question be,

IS my brother in love with you?

Where is your bloody tunic?

Covered in blood, Colonel.

And our orders are to take Termoli

and hold it to the last man, come what may.

Just let me sleep.

I need to sleep.

Come. Come where?

GERMAN CAPTAIN SHOUTS W-Whoa!

A little early for a stroll, don't you think?

Hold still.

It'd be nice if you could tell me where the fuck you're taking me.

Oh! Let's go!

TONKIN GASPS

Forward!

Hey! Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, hey! I'm a prisoner of fucking war!

I have rights according to the Geneva Convention!

OK?

You can't do this!

Ow!

TONKIN SIGHS

Mum, Dad, Heather...

GERMAN CAPTAIN SHOUTS ...er...

...if my body makes it home, bury me under the bridle path.

Fertig!

Oh...

God, judge myself for the things I did before the war.

CAR HORN BLARES

Wartet!

ENGINE IDLES

General Heidrich of the 1st Fallschirmjager Division...

...has invited you to dinner.

Up!

Right, you lot!

Hands off your cocks and pull on your socks

cos the bastards are here! BANGING

Get up! Up!

Reg, there's a Panzer Division

breaching the northern horizon -

just like the Apache Indians in the films.

Paddy's got a plan.

Paddy's losing his marbles a bit but,

aye, yeah, he's got a plan.

Did you, er...?

Did you sleep well, Reg?

I slept very well.

Why wouldn't I?

You thirsty, Paddy?

Paddy, the German advance has begun.

And what are we going to bloody fight them with? Water pistols?

Get these aboard a truck now.

What for?

Isn't it obvious?

Even for Paddy, this is not fucking normal.

I told you.

He's gone mad.

The laundry in Termoli has no water.

So we are taking water to the laundry,

where we will leave our bloody uniforms

with the lovely family who run the laundry -

before making our way to the front line.

Why, Paddy?

Because GHQ radioed me an urgent communique overnight,

saying the SRS must wear correct uniforms

when engaging the enemy,

especially when there is risk of capture.

So, today,

as we prepare to face

the 16th Panzer Division alone,

ill-equipped

with no air cover...

...the cleaning of our uniforms is our priority.

That is why we are going to the laundry.

♪ In mezzo al mar c'e un uccellino

♪ Che si vorrebbe riposare

♪ Ma non sta a galla, poverino

♪ Come deve fare?

♪ E sopra a un albero c'e un pesce

♪ Che ha tanta voglia di nuotare

♪ Ma, tra le foglie, non riesce

♪ Come deve fare? ♪

All right, lads! Come on, clear out!

♪ L'uccellin provo

♪ A nuotar

♪ E il pesciolin

♪ Un bel di provo a volar... ♪ Come on!

♪ Da allora tutti i cacciatori

♪ Gli uccelli pescano in barchetta! ♪

Where do these go?

Quick, quick!

♪ Vanno i pescator!

♪ Se, se, se

♪ Se la terra, ahime

♪ Diventasse mar

♪ Penso che Ai miei figli, un di

♪ Potrei raccontar che

♪ In mezzo al mar c'e un uccellino

♪ Che si vorrebbe riposare

♪ Ma non sta a galla, poverino

♪ Come deve fare? ♪

Sergeant.

You will stay here.

Bring us our uniforms once they're clean.

Are you fucking joking?

Your next question will be,

"Why have you chosen me to stay behind?"

I have chosen you because last night you didn't sleep.

And not for many nights before.

I can see it in your eyes, Reggie.

That is because I have the same look in my own eyes.

Aye.

I believe you and I share the same ghosts.

Rum drowns them.

Pills make them funny.

But today, you will stay here,

get some rest and help these good people do our laundry.

That is an order.

All right, mucker?

Right, men!

Listen fucking here!

The barbarians are almost at the gates!

So we, who are worse than barbarians...

THEY SHOUT

...ought to be there to fucking meet them!

Come on!

Who, er...?

Any of you speak English?

I teach English.

Do you want coffee?

Coffee is good.

And a gallon of booze of any description.

What?

Coffee is good.

No, vuole, il caffe. Caffe, subito.

Here, let me help you.

No, no, lascia, riposati.

Devi essere stanco.

She says, "It's OK.

"You must be tired, so sit down."

I must be.

It's my favourite. Cioccolato. LAUGHTER

♪ I swear by Almighty God

♪ To tell the whole truth

♪ And nothing but the truth... ♪

Alfredo said they move heavy equipment

through this tunnel.

We can stop them up there.

♪ Guns, guns

♪ They torture all the women and children

♪ Then they've put the men to the gun

♪ Cos across the human frontier

♪ Freedom's always on the run... ♪

No, no, no, no, no, no.

No, no need to do all that, all right, yeah?

We're not on parade.

We want to do the best job for you.

Oh, this is fine... like this.

Thank you.

Bang. BOY LAUGHS

You missed.

Quanti cattivi hai ucciso? Matteo!

What did he say?

Nothing. Just being a boy.

It's OK.

Tell me.

I have a nephew about his age.

They are honest.

They say everything they want to say.

What did he say?

He...

He asked you, "How many people have you killed?"

Una?

Due?

Tre?

Quattro?

Cinque?

Sei?

ECHOING: Sette?

Otto?

Nove?!

Dieci?!

LAUGHTER

11.

12.

13.

14.

15... You don't have to do that.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20...

And on and on and on...

Ma sei un eroe!

He says you're a big hero.

Yeah.

That's me.

Matteo, basta. Dai, andiamo. Lasciamo in pace il signore.

No, no, no, no. Voglio stare. Dai Matteo, per favore, non...

Voglio restare.

Can he stay with you?

Yeah.

Why not? MATTEO CHUCKLES

Mm-hm.

In answer to your question...

...the number of men I have killed is unknown to me.

We used to have a blackboard, but the men didn't count.

THEY LAUGH

Please, God, give me back my concussion.

I need visitors.

I love you. The reason you came? Yes, and to make love.

You mean the whole thing? The whole thing sounds very English.

In Sicily, you will join my brother, yes?

You fucking dare to talk to me like that?

DOOR BANGS

Ehi, pazzo!

PLATE CLATTERS

I will not swallow your fucking piss!

Bang! Bang!

Bang! Bang!

Bang!

♪ Rosamunda, Rosamunda

♪ Che magnifica serata

♪ Sembra quasi preparata

♪ Da una fata delicata

♪ Mille luci, mille voci... ♪ Bang!

♪ Mille cuori strafelici... ♪ Bang!

♪ Sono tutti in allegria

♪ Oh che felicita

♪ Rosamunda, se mi baci tu

♪ Rosamunda, non resisto piu... ♪

My nephew always beats me as well.

When I see him, I'm going to tell him.

If he asks, I'm going to say,

"We just played cowboys and Indians."

LAUGHTER

My mother has cooked lunch.

The noise of shooting and explosions in the north have stopped.

Yeah, but Paddy's here.

The noise will soon start again.

♪ One morning on the prairie

♪ As Jack, he rode along

♪ A-listening to a mocking bird... ♪

Paddy, tanks have been spotted.

Oh, Jesus, Johnny. How I have missed the death rattle

of approaching German vehicles.

Just like the old days, Paddy.

Huh!

Go, go, go!

On the double, men!

Get with it! Come on!

Thank you, Lieutenant.

What is it?

A roadblock 20 miles south of Termoli

reported a French female journalist travelling

with a consignment of flame-throwers.

Right.

And since she had no authorisation, they turned her back, yes?

No, sir. They let her pass.

She said she was on her way to visit Paddy Mayne.

All the regulars love Paddy Mayne.

The guard let her go.

Yes, just as the guard at Bagnara let her go

while I was sleeping.

And the next guard at the next checkpoint

on the road north let her go -

all without my knowledge or permission,

each with their own different reasons.

She is proving to be quite unstoppable.

Here she comes.

Fraser!

Dave.

Paddy, it's a Panzer.

Panzer IV. Brand-new model G with the increased armour.

The only thing that will stop a Panzer IV

is a Bazooka to the back decks, and we haven't got a Bazooka.

It's about to open fire.

Fall back!

Fall back! Fall back! Fall!

Come on! Get it covered! Move! Come on!

Get him, Mac!

Go, go, go! Fall back!

Fall back!

Paddy, those tanks are heading straight into town.

If our order is to hold town

then we need to get there before they do.

Previous strategy did not work.

It couldn't work, Paddy. We've got no Bazookas.

We've got no cover.

Our order is to hold the town until reinforcements come.

What fucking reinforcement?

We do not ask those questions any more.

Since when? We just follow the order.

How am I doing, Staff Sergeant?

Previous strategy did not work.

Shall we fall back?

And that's not obeying orders.

It's common bloody sense, Paddy.

Common sense?

In a war?

Whatever next?

Fall back! Fall back!

I have, er,

two nieces

and one nephew in England.

Ha tre nipoti in Inghilterra.

E come si chiamano?

What are their names?

I haven't said their names out loud for...

...a long time.

Before Jalo, I think.

What's Jalo?

I don't want to bring them up.

As if that would bring them here.

I don't want them to imagine... me.

And what I do.

My mother says when you get home, in your own fireside,

all of this will be forgotten.

I hope.

Yeah.

I really... hope.

I'm sorry.

I've forgotten what to do around people.

Sorry.

Excuse me.

Where is Paddy Mayne?

We're holding a line three miles north.

How do I get there?

You join the SAS.

Yes, why not?

My permission is from General de Gaulle.

I'm travelling with a consignment of mortar grenades, mortars,

flame-throwers, for use in the defence of Termoli.

Why are you here?

Waiting for some clothes to dry.

EXPLOSION

If the tanks are in range, it means the line is broken.

So, Paddy will come to you.

You should get under cover.

There are some nice people here.

Normal people.

Right, listen up.

News is that the defensive positions in Termoli are being overrun.

We've been ordered to join our comrades in the SRS

as a matter of urgency and help them to hold the town.

Termoli must not fall.

It cannot fall.

If the Germans break through,

they'll be able to outflank the American divisions

heading north from Naples.

So, the first-ever engagement of 2SAS will be one of the most

important engagements of the war in Europe so far.

We'll be fighting beside some of the best

and most courageous soldiers on Earth.

And we will match them.

ALL: Yes, sir!

Right, you lot! Go, go!

The dad is going out to find a position.

He says he's a good shot.

The rest of the family are going down to the basement.

You should go with them.

Why would I go down into the basement?

You know guns?

I know you should never leave your gun lying around,

loaded and without the safety catch.

If the line has broken, this will become a fight

from street to street.

You are outnumbered.

You will need all the help you can get.

GHQ have ordered all combatants to wear full uniform.

But I think in your case...

...we can make an exception.

EXPLOSION

Paddy! Turn around! Come fight with us!

Ruckzugskonvoi in Richtung Suden P2. Einmarsch in P3.

Jawohl.

Drei vier sechs funf.

Sechs funf drei vier.

Schnell! Schnell!

Panzer tanks, heading south!

We know! It is why we are heading north!

It's an entire tank division, Alfredo!

You cannot engage!

Jetzt.

Feuer!

Get in the truck! Move! Get in the truck!

Guys, move! Alessia, now! In! Get the ammo. Forget the weapons.

Go, go, go! Get in the truck!

All right, now go! Come on, Johnny.

EXPLOSION

Matteo, go down to the basement with your mother, yeah?

You can't come with me and your dad.

Hey?

Look after yourself, cowboy.

Matteo, dobbiamo andare. No, Mama!

Voglio andare con loro!

Move! Let's go!

Quadrat Q5. Q5.

Drei Lastwagen.

Sie sind leer.

Feuern, wenn sie voll sind.

Right, put on your nice, clean uniforms.

Form up outside.

We have half an hour before they reach the north end of town.

I'd leave, if I were you.

Not all SAS will wear underwear.

Mama!

CHATTER AND LAUGHTER

If you want to interview me for your newspaper,

I'm going to have to ask you to wait

until I have at least put on some trousers.

I am told that when I engage the enemy,

I'm not required to wear a uniform.

Reggie?

What's the fucking crack here?

The Frenchwoman arrived without permission

in a truckload of flame throwers.

So you decided to give her a machinegun?

I told you once, in a bar in Cairo,

that my father taught me how to fight.

The Germans will be here soon.

And I really, really want to shoot some of them.

Fucking sweet Jesus.

One French spy and a truckload of flame-throwers.

Is that permission.

Bill Stirling ordered me not to let you go

anywhere near the front line.

So, in the spirit of fuck you...

...welcome to the SAS.

Get on this truck, drive to Campomarino Bridge,

and fucking hold it to the last man!

All right? That is an order!

Hey! Come on, come on!

I don't even know your name.

Matteo wants to give you his toy gun.

For luck.

Go, go, go!

Jetzt. Jetzt!

Get inside! Go!

SCREAMING

Reg!

Reg!

Reg!

Matteo!

He's got no chance, Reg.

I will do it.

I'll do it.

GUNSHOT

REG SOBS

We've got a battle to fight

We've got a battle to fight, Sergeant!

Stand up, Reg!

Fucking stand, Reg!

Obey my order! Stand up, Reg! Yes!

Yes, Sir!

Reg! It's not random fire! They're being directed!

There's a fucking spotter in the tower!

Go fucking get him! Come on!

Uh!

BELL TOLLS GUN CLICKS

SEEKINGS GASPS

Bingo!

What's in it?

I heard a wee rumour about flame-throwers.

Oh, happy birthday, boss!

GUNFIRE Cover the left!

Moving, moving! Go!

Moving!

Go!

Go!

Come on, come on! Cover!

Anyone know how to use one of these?

Cooper, run up!

Fire!

SHOUTING

Incoming, lads! Incoming!

Prepare to withdraw.

Covering fire.

Let's go!

Now!

Don't fucking slow down! Speed up!

Hit the horn!

We're the SAS! Get out of the fucking way!

Stop! Move!

BABY CRIES

Yes, there are women in here.

GUNFIRE

SCREAMING

Fuck you!

Get down!

So, we withdraw?

No, we do not withdraw.

Our orders are to hold Termoli until the last man.

That is what we will fucking do.

Riley?

Er, nozzle. Give me the nozzle.

Here. This, here?

No, no, no. Yes! If you put that there,

the whole fucking thing explodes!

But look at the diagram! Fuck the diagram!

Fuck you!

Sir, look.

So this is where we die?

Fuck. Have we got any more booze?

No, we finished it all to the last drop.

These final moments are intoxication enough.

Are they not, boys?

Oh, dear God.

Fuck, we're surrounded!

♪ Surrender now, Jack Duggan... ♪

Riley. Riley.

♪ ..three to one

♪ Surrender in the King's high name

♪ You are a plundering son... ♪

Prepare!

♪ Jack drew two pistols from his belt

♪ And proudly waved them high

♪ I'll fight but not surrender

♪ Said the wild colonial boy. ♪

PADDY SCREAMS We have our orders.

To the last man!

PADDY SCREAMS

Get up there, go on!

Fuck you!

Did everybody else see that Bazooka??

What the fuck just happened?

Bazookas! Paddy, 2SAS!

Hold fire! Hold!

You shoot them on the left, move!

LAUGHTER

2SAS have taken the southern part of the town.

Our order is to regroup, then move north.

Counter the counter.

So let's go. Yes!

You taste like fucking petrol.

Let's go. Thank you, God!

And 2SAS!

Hold it! Hold it!

Eve! What are you doing here?

Get in!

Go!

Better late than fucking never, I suppose.

We heard they were bringing Panzers. So we brought Bazookas.

Holding Termoli for as long as you did was an exceptional feat

and I will mention the whole regiment in dispatches.

But what on Earth is Eve doing here with a fucking firearm?

From what I understand, sir, she's using the firearm

to kill Germans.

I went into the laundry.

It might help you...

...if you came back to the laundry with me...

...to organise their burial.

SCRATCHING

Welcome, Eve.

How are things, my love?

Ah, Lieutenant Tonkin.

A real-life, authentic member of the legendary British regiment

of the SAS.

What do you like, chicken or beef?

I would like freedom, actually.

But failing that, er, chicken.

Hmm!

I wanted to talk to one of you fellows

because I'm intrigued.

You do know I won't be telling you anything of strategic importance?

Strategies are not what I'm interested in.

Strategies can be learned,

from Alexander to Napoleon.

I am interested in this new thing.

What new thing?

A harnessing of the power of madness.

It is true that most men in the SAS are mad.

Calculated madness.

As if madness was the logic of a superior universe.

And, if executed correctly,

it inspires terror in those of us who are logical.

Tell me about... Paddy Mayne.

GHQ insisted that all combatants wear uniforms today,

and they did so for a reason.

That is quite revolutionary.

The Geneva Convention states that all soldiers

who are taken prisoner, who are wearing uniform,

are to be treated decently and are to be held as prisoners of war

until the end of the conflict.

Those not wearing uniforms are at risk of being executed.

That is the convention as it stands.

However, we have learned the Germans

have recently changed the rules of engagement.

I heard it was Hitler himself.

Indeed, Hitler has ordered that all members of commando units,

such as the SAS and SRS,

are to be summarily executed,

whether they are in uniform or not.

Even if they put up their hands and surrender,

they are to be shot.

Today, GHQ ordered your men to wear uniforms

so that if they were taken prisoner and there was a mass execution,

there could be no doubt that it was a war crime.

In any subsequent war crime trials,

we do not want to give those bastards

the excuse that those executed were shot

because they were out of uniform.

So, Paddy, GHQ ordering you to wear uniform

was not GHQ being GHQ.

The nature of the war has changed, again.

From now on, surrender is no longer an option for the SAS.

"I'll fight, but not surrender,"

said the wild colonial boy.

Yes, fight or die.

I wonder, why is it that this makes me happy?

War without mercy.

Am I a monster, do you think?

Can I relay the good news to my men now?

Paddy, this does not give you an excuse

to treat prisoners in the same way.

Oh, I will continue to be the perfect gentleman.

That laundry would still be in one piece

if we hadn't been ordered to go there.

You know?

I will arrange a burial party tomorrow morning,

for the family.

I will attend the burial.

I've organised a vehicle, 7am, to take you back to Bagnara.

For military reasons, I can't allow you to stay.

For patriotic reasons, I cannot leave.

That Paddy Mayne is a lover of poetry

adds a whole new dimension to my confusion.

OPERA PLAYS

Maybe it's because I'm German

and I don't understand the English.

Irish.

Hmm? There's a difference?

You really don't understand, do you?

Do you know?

There's something about today that I do not understand.

I was taken prisoner in uniform.

As you can plainly see.

And yet, this morning I was taken to the firing squad like a spy.

Yes.

I intervened this morning...

...because I wanted to meet a member of the unit

whose successes in Africa and Italy

have so infuriated Hitler...

...that he has ordered that any one of you who surrenders...

...is to be executed,

shot - against the rules of the convention.

And anyone who fails to carry out this order

will themselves be shot.

So, this was a kind of a last supper?

I tried to make it as grand as I could.

Well, the chicken was rather wonderful.

I told them to come for you at midnight.

I gave you one extra day of life.

Goodbye, Lieutenant.

Someone said you wanted to see me.

I didn't want to see you.

I wanted to look at you, find out how you are.

I... Also, I have news about the rules of engagement.

I've told the others.

Now I'm going to tell you. I can't talk.

Or listen.

To anything, Paddy.

Sodium amytal or William Blake.

I recommend the latter.

Either way, tomorrow morning at dawn, we go again.

All right, Reggie?

MUSIC: She Sells Sanctuary by The Cult

♪ Oh, the heads that turn

♪ Make my back burn

♪ And those heads that turn

♪ Make my back

♪ Make my back burn... ♪