ChicDragon It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

Usamah Harvey The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Aneesa Wardle The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

Theo Robertson Without doubt THE SWEENEY is one of the most popular and fondly remembered television shows Britain has ever produced and this was the first of two films made to tie in with the television series . It's certainly the more compelling of the two but where as the sequel did mirror the Thames Television series the original doesn't entirely One of the reasons for the show's success was its offbeat humour which features here in an early scene " What you mean Tiny Large ? " " He's a total animal . I remember we had him down the station and he wouldn't leave his cell so we sent in an alsatian . He broke its jaw and threw it out " " Dog Day Afternoon " What is noticeable right from the opening scene is that politics is involved and this film version of THE SWEENEY is very much a political thriller which sets in motion a shadowy conspiracy involving Special Branch trying to bump off DI Jack Regan who knows too much for his own good . It's a bit more grittier than the TV show if only that it shows a graphi scene of a constable getting shot in the head but the whole conspiracy is unlikely and feels false . And the final scene is somewhat confusing Having said that it's always good to see the underatted John Thaw playing the all drinking all smoking DI Regan during an era when TV cops were nasty but nice crimebusters . Certainly a film that reflects the strengths of the television show and one wonders if Nick Love's big screen version later this year will be a very pale imitation ?

Spikeopath Detectives Regan & Carter investigate the suspected murder of a prostitute and find that there is major corruption, blackmail and murder bubbling under the surface.Sweeney! is a TV spin-off that further pushes the grit and grime that had been established in the hugely popular series. Boasting call girls, blood, automatic weapon carnage, more blood and lots of shouting, it does in short have most things fans of the series could want. It also serves as a interesting snap-shot of mid to late 70s London as various sequences operate in and around the old smoke. Yet in spite of its guts and gusto and nicely woven plot {incorporating the oil slant}, it ultimately sags too often and criminally under uses Dennis Waterman's Carter. This is really about John Thaw's Reagan. Fine for fans of the always excellent Thaw, but this was a dynamite duo, and somewhere along the way somebody made a poor decision to focus on one part of the team.The cast is filled out with notable British actors as the story unfolds. Barry Foster {Frenzy}, Ian Bannen {Too Late the Hero}, Colin Welland {Straw Dogs}, Brian Glover {Kes} and Diane Keen; who was a star of many a British TV production. It's pretty much one for fans only, because you get the feeling that newcomers, although sure to be impressed with its toughness, will wonder just what all the fuss was about back in the sweary Sweeney 70s. 6/10

ShadeGrenade Amongst the many British sitcoms of the '70's to be turned into movies were a couple of dramas - 'Doomwatch', 'Man At The Top', 'Callan', and, of course, 'The Sweeney'. Ian Kennedy-Martin's hit I.T.V. show starred John Thaw as D.I. Jack Regan and Dennis Waterman as Sergeant George Carter, and ran from 1975-78. It set new standards for television violence, language and nudity. It unsurprisingly made an effortless transition to the big screen in the decade of 'Get Carter' and 'Villain'.Ranald Graham, one of the show's best writers, penned a gritty political conspiracy thriller, turning 'Sweeney!' almost into a British version of 'The Domino Principle' and 'The Parallax View'. An unknown multi-national corporation is out to wreck an oil conference in London; firstly, they murder a prostitute ( Lynda Bellingham ), leaving her nude body in the hotel room of Energy Secretary Charles Baker ( the brilliant Ian Bannen ) M.P. When her boyfriend, used car dealer Ronnie Brent ( Joe Melia ) calls on the Flying Squad to investigate, he and his staff are viciously slaughtered in a machine-gun attack. Then the villains turn their attentions to Regan himself. After being captured, he has whisky poured down his throat, and is put behind the wheel of a car. It crashes, and his superiors suspend him. But Regan is determined to go on.As one might expect, the violence levels are higher than those of the series. The murder of the Bellingham character is executed with such cold, clinical precision as to be shocking ( as is the sight of a policeman shot in the head ), while the massacre in the used car lot evokes Peckinpah. The sight of Diane Keen ( then best known for her role in 'The Cuckoo Waltz' sitcom ) topless in bed must have raised eyebrows. Michael Coles is particularly menacing as the smiling assassin 'Johnson'. As 'Regan', Thaw is, as ever, marvellous. Another man would quietly let the matter drop, but he chips away until the conspiracy unravels. Waterman, likewise, is great, although, he is missing for long stretches, while Thaw teams up with Keen. The reviewer who said the movie was good only for a few laughs because of the outdated fashions has missed the point. The notion that big business would sanction criminal acts to protect its interests strikes me as frighteningly believable. David Wickes does a good job in keeping the action moving, achieving some superb location filming in London.A few quibbles - where was Haskins ( Garfield Morgan )? Why did they not use Harry South's smashing theme tune? And why was an American actor not hired to play the pivotal role of 'Elliot McQueen', Baker's crooked P.R. man? Barry Foster ( of 'Van Der Valk' fame ) struggles but sounds about as American as Fidel Castro.'Sweeney!' opened to ecstatic reviews ( 'The best British crime thriller in years!' raved one ) and won a clutch of awards. A year later, 'Sweeney 2' appeared, but although written by Troy Kennedy-Martin ( brother of Ian ) it was not a patch on the first.If you have never seen the series, this movie should serve as a useful introduction.

philkessell I suppose anyone born in the late 60s or before is going to look fondly on this, and I'm no exception. I don't know about you but watching this (and the series of course) makes me think that there is just something missing in today's police related stuff on TV. It comes across as too sanitized, too clean, as though every 'officer' is reduced to some kind of professional stereotype (the good guy, the bad guy, the guy trying to escape his typecasting as Mark Fowler etc etc).'Sweeney' comes across as REAL. Of course it's cannon fodder for all those comments about trim phones, flares, kipper ties etc, but let's face it folks, at least the 70s had an IDENTITY. What is there now? What differentiates a 15 year old episode of 'The Bill' from one made in 2005? Not much I reckon.That's why this is good - real people with real personalities, foibles, quirks etc behaving human beings. I remember once that Regan was asked why he was still an inspector - 'I don't play golf' was the response. How true is that in the wider world! Enough rambling - the film itself. To me the acting is uniformally excellent; Foster doesn't come across as negatively pragmatic or oleaginous till mid way through the film, and the way his plan unfolds slowly as your distaste for him increases is carefully handled. By the end, you're rooting for him to get his come uppance. Also, the way Regan is hemmed in by those in authority as the film progresses is nicely claustrophobic, particularly when a suspended Regan meets Carter in a pub and is advised to 'get yourself some Alka Seltzer.' There are many quotable one liners here, deftly delivered by key protagonists. 'Alright Tinkerbell, you're nicked' is up there with 'in a thin glass' IMHO. Of course, they needed a 'big' plot to fill 90 minutes, and comparisons with Watergate and the general economic malaise endemic in Britain in the mid 70s are obvious. But put all that to one side folks - if you liked the series, you will like this, especially if, like me, you can remember a time when watching something on TV was an event to look forward to.