Sweeney!

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

An excellent spinoff off from the popular TV series. The story is bigger but has all the grittiness and natural interaction of the characters that made the series so good. It's of it's time and anyone watching it today should remember that the language isn't tame and will offend some. Oh dear, never mind. It's genuine and that's what makes it believable.

The only let down is the lack of supporting characters carried over from TV. Many didn't have big roles but were familiar faces in the background. Haskins was especially missed.

If you remember The Sweeney from the first time around or just like gritty seventies British movies, then this is a great watch.

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.

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.

'' 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.