Based on the novel "Red Notice" by Andy McNab, SAS: Rise of the Black Swan is a British action thriller that delivers tightly choreographed violence, psychological warfare, and the shadowy ethics of modern special forces. Directed by Magnus Martens and starring Sam Heughan (Outlander), Ruby Rose, and Andy Serkis, the film dives deep into a deadly hostage crisis aboard a hijacked train in the Channel Tunnel.
Heughan plays Tom Buckingham, an off-duty SAS operative whose plans to propose to his girlfriend are violently interrupted when Grace Lewis (Ruby Rose), a cold-blooded mercenary and leader of the Black Swans, seizes the train and threatens hundreds of lives. What follows is a brutal, claustrophobic battle of wills, as Buckingham must stop a terrorist operation while grappling with his own violent instincts and dark upbringing.
The film explores themes of moral ambiguity, the fine line between heroism and sociopathy, and how governments manipulate private military operations. Ruby Rose’s performance as Grace Lewis is chilling—unflinching, calculating, and layered with personal trauma.
Though the film received mixed reviews, it has garnered a cult following thanks to its gritty realism, unflinching violence, and the psychological depth of its characters.
A potential sequel—SAS: Shadow Protocol—could follow Tom Buckingham after the events of Rise of the Black Swan. Now disillusioned by what he uncovered during the train attack and the government’s role in hiring mercenaries like the Black Swans, Tom begins to question the very system he serves.
When a former Black Swan operative emerges from hiding with evidence of a secret “shadow protocol” designed to trigger conflicts for profit, Tom is forced to go rogue. The sequel could take him across Europe and into Africa, exposing deeper corruption within the UK government and private military firms.
As Tom spirals further into paranoia, the line between savior and executioner blurs—turning him into both a hunter and hunted. A morally gray female assassin could be introduced to mirror what Grace Lewis once was, giving the sequel a psychological edge and emotional complexity.
Action sequences in war-torn cities, drone-strike countermeasures, and a final confrontation in London’s political underbelly would raise the stakes and expand the world of SAS into a full-fledged geopolitical thriller.
SAS: Rise of the Black Swan isn’t just a straightforward action movie—it’s a look at what happens when violence is institutionalized and morality is optional. With Sam Heughan’s stoic intensity and the lingering legacy of the Black Swans, a sequel could turn this into a hard-hitting franchise in the vein of Bourne or Jack Ryan.
A follow-up like SAS: Shadow Protocol would push deeper into the shadows—and prove once again that some heroes are forged in the fire of conspiracy.
