SAS: Rise Of The Black Swan Ending - Sequel Setup & More

Summary The second act of SAS: Rise of the Black Swan ramps up the action after revealing a traitor within the SAS team.

The movie subverts action clichés, with Tom's refusal to join Black Swan, highlighting his strong loyalty to Britain.

The film oversimplifies mental health terms, but sets up a sequel by leaving the ending open for more Tom Buckingham adventures.

Netflix's SAS: Rise of the Black Swan features an action-packed ending that not only serves as an explosive conclusion but also sets up for a potential sequel in the future. Released in 2021, the thriller follows SAS agent Tom Buckingham (Sam Heughan) as he is tasked with stopping an international terrorist plot on the eve of his engagement in Paris. Multi-faceted, and always pulse-pounding, Rise of the Black Swan delivers a lot of action while also keeping the viewer guessing with plenty of political twists and turns. The movie simultaneously feels like a blast from the past while also pushing the boundaries of modern action epics.

Originally called SAS: Red Notice, the title of director Magnus Martens' action flick was changed for Netflix to avoid confusion with one of the streamer's other action movies with a similar name. Rise of the Black Swan joins a host of other great Netflix action movies and continues the streamer's path towards being a landing spot for many under-the-radar would-be blockbusters. While SAS: Rise of the Black Swan and its ending delivered the expected high-octane thrills, it also opened the door for the standalone film to blossom into a bona fide franchise.

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Declan Is The Mole

Tom Learns That Loyalty Isn't A Given In The SAS

SAS: Rise of the Black Swan increases the pace during its second act. The first half is partially embroiled in the mystery of exactly who is responsible for the leaks within the SAS. However, once the identity of the team's traitor is established, the action intensifies significantly. One of the most important twists that shifts the film into high gear is the revelation that Declan Smith (Tom Hopper), Tom's partner and friend, is actually a double agent working with Black Swan.

It's revealed in Rise of the Black Swan that Declan accepted a bribe from the Black Swans, putting his loyalty to his country and team aside for monetary gain. Declan is an SAS agent, but his allegiances to Britain are obviously not as important to him as money, and he makes the financial choice. It also offers a contrast to Tom, who is shown throughout the film to be an unfeeling killer, and yet his loyalties are strong.

Grace Asks Tom To Join Black Swan

The Remnants Of The Black Swans See Tom As A Potentially Valuable Asset

Hollywood films are filled with annoying action movie cliches, but SAS: Rise of the Black Swan and its ending found ways to cleverly subvert those tropes in a new way. In their final climactic showdown, international terrorist Grace (Ruby Rose) dukes it out with Tom in a knock-down-drag-out brawl that pits their elite training against one another in a duel to the death.

While Tom comes out the victor, his win comes after he is offered a spot on Grace's team as part of Black Swan. She recognizes his cold-blooded nature and isn't afraid to even compare him to her, in a somewhat unflattering way. While the "we're not so different, you and I" scene plays out in dozens of action movies, Rise of the Black Swan actually lives up to the trope by allowing its hero and villain to share traits without being the same.

Both are known for their ruthlessness, but Grace's desire to do harm comes from a sense of greed and Tom's comes from a perceived sense of duty to his country. Though the movie explores that loyalty with a cynical edge, that trait is perhaps Tom's greatest asset as he refuses to sell out, even for significant financial gain.

Tom Kills Grace

The Hero's Worst Impulses Come To The Fore During His Victory

Unlike other action films where 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. With all the revelations regarding government corruption and double-crossing, Tom's loyalty to his country is severely tested, and an alliance with Grace could allow him to get revenge of his own. However, Tom sees the light of day, and his fight with Grace is the action-packed highlight of the entire film. When he does finally kill his foe though, he does so in such a brutal way that he steps over the line.

The entire film grapples with Tom's perceived anti-social behavior, and it is a legitimate question whether or not he can feel emotions like everyone else. While that idea largely speaks to the dehumanizing effect of the military, it also makes him an interesting opposite to the equally anti-social Grace. The gruesome way in which he dispatches Grace is almost evidence that everyone is right about him, and it makes him a more complex action star than the usual gun-toting hero.

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Is Tom A Psychopath?

SAS: Rise Of The Black Swan Severely Misunderstands A Complex Mental Health Issue

Movies with storylines that highlight mental health are often hit or miss, and action extravaganzas like SAS: Rise of the Black Swan aren't really known for their deft handling of complex social issues. Therefore, the movie tosses around the outdated term "psychopath" to refer to someone with anti-social personality disorder, and is somewhat problematic in its approach to the topic. Grace's father describes what he perceives to be a "psychopath", and he says it is someone who cannot feel emotions like everyone else. Grace takes that distorted view to heart, and begins to believe she herself is one such person.

To mirror that theme, Tom and his relationship with Sophie (Hannah John-Kamen) is put under a microscope as she grapples with the clinical way in which he approaches his job. Throughout the film, Sophie and others question whether Tom can even experience emotion, which seemingly proves Grace's assessment correct when she plays the armchair psychiatrist and calls him a "psychopath". Tom eventually proves them all wrong when he cries after Sophie rejects his initial marriage proposal, which is enough for her to change her mind about the man and decide to marry him.

The movie, of course, woefully oversimplifies the issues of anti-social personality disorder, and not only uses antiquated terms but puts forward somewhat harmful stereotypes about those with ASD. In the end, though, Tom is never formally assessed by a mental health professional, and the idea of him being a "psychopath" is more reflective of the themes of the dehumanizing effect of the military on its soldiers.

How The SAS: Rise Of The Black Swan Ending Sets Up A Sequel

The Ending Of The British Action Movie Teased More To Come

SAS: Rise of the Black Swan is based on the novel SAS: Red Notice by Andy McNab. It's the first book in the Tom Buckingham trilogy, with the second novel being 2014's Fortress. Given that there are more Tom Buckingham stories to adapt, it's unsurprising that the Rise of the Black Swan ending seemingly left the doors open for a sequel.

The SAS: Rise of the Black Swan ending was not only an explosive good time but also clearly opened the door for even more excitement in future installments. After the blast in the train tunnel, Declan and the rest of the Black Swan gang was seemingly dead, but it is eventually revealed that he isn't dead, and is actually spying on Tom as he and Sophie get married in Spain. Tom is then alerted of the whereabouts of his friend-turned-enemy, and it is clear he wants a piece of the action once again.

While plenty of movie cliffhangers were never answered, it is likely that SAS: Rise of the Black Swan won't be the last of Tom's adventures. Even the decision to call the movie Rise of the Black Swan implies it is only the beginning of a much larger story, and the use of heady themes can't simply be contained in one movie. Tom may learn to connect more with his emotions as he hunts down his old friend, and there will surely be a host of other twists as Tom's loyalties are tested once again by a corrupt system.

The Real Meaning Of SAS: Rise Of The Black Swan’s Ending

The Action Movie Has A Lot Going For It, But Little Thematic Depth

Though there are notable exceptions, the endings of action extravaganzas like SAS: Rise of the Black Swan don't usually have a lot to say other than a copious amount of punches and explosions. However, Rise of the Black Swan put emphasis on its action by imbuing its ending with themes that stretch beyond the usual revenge-based plots.

Tom's struggle with its own humanity is a theme much larger than the movie itself, and his marriage is the culmination and payoff to that idea. Even if sequels do come, the first film will always be about the dehumanizing effect of conflict and what it does to the people doing the fighting.

How The Ending Compares To The Book

Rise Of The Black Swan Is Incredibly Different To The Andy McNab Novel

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SAS: Rise of the Black Swan is based on the novel SAS: Red Notice from British military thriller writer Andy McNab. However, while the 2021 movie brings the broad-strokes aspect of the plot of the book from page to screen, the two share surprisingly 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 differences.

Tom is the central character in both versions, and there's a plot that involves a bomb on the Eurotunnel that's partially the result of a military incident in Georgia. However, this is more-or-less where the similarities end. In the SAS: Red Notice book, Tom's fateful train journey is interrupted when he sees wanted Georgian warlord Laszlo Antonov on the train, and it's Antonov who hijacks it rather than a former private military group.

Sophie isn't in the book at all, and was a character created exclusively for SAS: Rise of the Black Swan. In the SAS: Red Notice book, Tom is heading to France to follow his girlfriend Delphine, who has become tired of their relationship and is returning to her homeland. The entire proposal arc isn't present, either, and Sophie also isn't the only character who doesn't appear in the source material. All in all, fans of SAS: Rise of the Black Swan may enjoy the original Andy McNab novel, but should go in expecting quite a different story.