Golden Boy

I saw this episode back in 1977, when it had been aired on a French channel; and I have always reminded the heist, this ingenious heist consisting of recording an empty security room, and then using this same record to mislead the security guards watching the screen whilst the hoodlums pull the heist in the security room. That's a scheme that I have never forgotten, but that's not enough to make this episode a masterpiece. Besides this heist element, nothing really special. Dudley Dutton is as good as usual; by the way, I am sure he played villains in every UK series from the late sixties till the eighties. For each British crime series I saw, he was at least in one episode. Except maybe PERSUADERS though. But pulling a heist with no disguise - not a hood because it was not supposed to be an armed robbery - for the face ( moustache, wig ) I think it was not that smart, because of the presence of the security guard whom the burglars had to meet anyway. But at least, they wore gloves, for the fingerprints !!! Which is not always the case for heist plots.

This is a another sure-fire classic from the first season which really delivers in every department.

The story concerns the slimy crook Max Deller (beautifully played by Dudley Sutton) who has cooked up an ingeneius scheme to steal a horde of gold ingots from a vault at a London securities firm - all the while evading the company's own security staff, who have no idea the blag is happening right under their noses.

The plot has some nice touches - the blackmail by Deller on his former Borstall cellmate-come-good - and the unfortunate grass he uses to get his man.

The running-joke here involving a straight-laced clerk who's inspecting the squad's paperwork is a real delight - Regan wants shot of him, and goes to humorous lengths to undermine the poor man's work & make him indisposed!

The blag itself is clever - you have to admire Deller's preparation and handiwork, and you almost want him to get away with it.

A great climax too where Regan (unusually) takes the wheel of the famous Ford Consul to chase down his man.

This is archetypal Sweeney, and has all the key elements that made the show so good.

Well we learn one thing. Regan has Irish roots.

When Regan sees bent law clerk turned informant Harry Fuller splashing the cash in the pub, he has him followed.

Harry is in contact with Max Deller who is planning to take some stolen gold out of the country. Max contacts his former Borstal cellmate Bernie Conway who exports sports goods abroad.

Max tells Bernie that he will tell his employers about his shady past. Max plans to pass the gold off as weightlifting discs.

It is surprising how much humour there was in the first series of The Sweeney. It certainly was not as violent as many people would recall.

It is a world of ex cons, big time cons and seedy people who got too greedy. Poor Harry, he snuffs it and when Max tries to get rid off the body, the gamekeeper is run over.

There is an element of keystone kops about this episode and the plot is not that great. Only Bernie seems to have his head screwed on. It is a question of whether he will stay loyal to a despicable crook such as Max.

Actor John Nolan who plays Bernie is the uncle of Christopher Nolan.

The cops are onto a seedy guy at a bar spending money loosely. Follows him and finds out a bigger fish is planning to ship stuff through a business. Sound familiar? Well it's The French Connection, and there must be a connection because the episode is very similar to the point of homage. Pretty good but not great like its muse. Always fun to watch The Flying Squad chasing down into the rabbit hole of crime, and more crime. Peaks with a foot chase.

The epi is, of course, about a crime, many a movie follows the same plot and tactics - but this is done in Sweeney style! It's more about the characters than the plot.