Sweeney!

A great film adaptation of the legendary tv series. 'Sweeney!' was a milestone for all 'Brit' Gangster' movies that followed (two decades later). See vintage 'Jags' and Ford Granada's, tearing up the streets of London; plus with an increase in violence, to give it a more brutal reality. The complicated plot was criticized for slowing the action but the 'Sweeney!', remains a great sign-of-the-times piece. Sort of dated but in the most endearing of ways.

'' Sweeney'', made in 1977 is a spinoff from the hugely popular and acclaimed drama which ran from ( 1975-1978), and starred John Thaw, Dennis waterman as two gruff and world weary policeman in the fast paced world of 1970s London in the department of the Police known as ' the flying squad'.

It was customary at the time for British Sitcoms if they were popular to get the big screen treatment. The sweeney was one of the few dramas which got the opportunity the film takes a different creative approach than the series and is more on the level of James Bond and the Professionals than anything else.

The plot: after a call girl played by the late Linda Bellingham is found dead in a hotel room after an supposed overdose, an old associate of Jack Regan's asks him to investigate the circumstances of her death his investigation leads him into a murky world of corruption and unpleasantness against an almost unstoppable criminal organisation with more than its fair share of double dealings.

The film Isn't as quite as good as the series but it's professional and competent piece of work in the quality of storytelling which isn't a routine cops and robbers story but the slant of political intrigue is a nice breath of fresh air.

The performances are decent the film is a showcase for the late John Thaw as Regan who is brilliant in the film, Dennis waterman is left on the sidelines in this film and doesn't have a lot of screentime with Thaw but otherwise turns in a fine performance. Barry Foster from the tv series ' Vander Faulk' is a credible villain if a bit over the top and pantomime at times his American accent isn't very good but otherwise he does alright.

Diane Keen from the BBC one sitcom: ' the cuckoo waltz', starring with another pre famed action hunk named Lewis Collins from the professionals is a good counter argument to thaw's gruff streetwise performer as a local lady of the night caught up in political intrigue.

Garfield Morgan who played John and Dennis' superintendent ' Frank Haskins', was absent from the film because he asked for a bigger salary than the producers could accommodate him for so his role was taken by Morris perry who was quite lacklustre but a satisfactory replacement.

Overall: ' Sweeney Is a decent spinoff of the popular 1970s drama, whilst not quite as good it benefits from intricate storytelling, a tour de force performance by John Thaw as Jack Regan which keeps the film balanced and script is a sharp and witty as ever.

Highly recommended if you're a fan of the series.

A no frills film in keeping with the series, the genre and the time.

This is a film about edgy London police in an edgy London in the edgy 70's. You could of course substitute "edgy" for "dodgy" in the above sentence and it would still be true...

For those of us around in the 70's it, like the series, is fantastically atmospheric. The hair, the clobber (look out for Regan's green anorak), the boozers, the motors, the women.

The plot is far less important than the characters who are all superb, and a particular mention for the young (and very beautiful) Diane Keen, and to a lesser extent Linda Bellingham - whose nudity makes you look at those OXO adverts very differently (or it would if they were still on) The film also gives some extra scope to the relationship between Regan & Carter, and there are some edgy moments between the 2, starting with their morning-after-the-night-before and culminating in the dramatic ending and indeed the film's last words. One of the many things I liked about the Sweeney was its realism and how it didn't portray its main characters as heroes but showed their dark sides and their failures.

I loved the TV Sweeney, for me John Thaw's (God rest his soul) Regan is one of, if not the, best TV characters of all time and this is an appropriate and very satisfying movie length "episode" Hollywood it ain't guv'nor, and for me thats what makes it the boll***s.

When one of his informants is murdered, Detective Inspector Jack Regan is drawn into a deadly political game. He is soon a marked man and, after being framed, is suspended from duty. This doesn't stop him searching for the murderers and the truth.

A full-length movie spin-off of the popular TV show The Sweeney (1974-78). The movie includes the two main characters of the show, DI Jack Regan (played by John Thaw) and DS George Carter (Dennis Waterman) as well as a few other characters.

The result is a great mix of police investigation, intriguing conspiracy at the highest level and enthralling action scenes. The dynamic between Regan and Carter also provides some great lighter moments.

Not perfect - the plot does feel a bit holey at times and the ending is a bit odd - but it's still very intriguing and entertaining.

Just watched this for the first time, and it's definitely a different animal from the TV series.

Quite slow moving, with just a couple of exciting interludes, and possibly one of worst miscastings ever committed to film, Barry Foster as McQueen. Was the budget that limited they couldn't afford an American to play the part?

Nice to see 70's London streets, and the usual 70's furnishings and fashions.

It's a passable 97minutes or so, but don't expect non stop excitement.

A big shout out for the Network blu ray which is how I watched it, picture quality is absolutely superb, and the sound is as clear as a bell.

Looking forward to watching the sequel tonight, which by all accounts is a little more in the traditional vein of the TV series.