You're nicked, yooo slaaag!! An update of the iconic 1970s TV series of the same name, 'The Sweeney' successfully transposes itself to the modern steel and glass settings of the London Docklands and the Square Mile in an entertaining Brit actioner. Nick Love is no stranger to directing stories about hard men as films from 'The Business' and 'Outlaws' attest and in this reimagining of cops versus robbers, Love imbues 'The Sweeney' with an excitement and brio that compares favourably with more famous overseas fare such as 'The Shield' in Los Angeles, 'CSI New York' and 'Spiral' in Paris. Indeed, I predict 'The Sweeney' will lead to a glut of similarly themed dramas with the same monochrome look and central London locations that Love uses so successfully in this film, but which themselves are clones of American TV – slo-mo tracking shots, swooping camera work and aerial vistas of gleaming skyscrapers and cityscapes at night; bright, shining pin points of light.
Ray Winstone plays Detective Inspector Jack Regan, who with his partner, Detective Sergeant George Carter, played by Ben Drew (of Plan B fame) are members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police that deals with violent crime and armed robbery. Both are called to investigate the violent heist of a jewellery shop which results in the slaying of an innocent bystander. The trail leads to Allen (Paul Anderson), a former gang leader and adversary of Regan, who is now on parole but who seemingly has a cast iron alibi. Mayhem ensues as gun battles break out in Trafalgar Square, reminiscent of the bank job in Michael Mann's 'Heat', but this time from the viewpoint of the policemen and a final showdown in a caravan park in Gravesend, Kent. Of course, there are a few twists and turns along the way with Winstone growling his way through the plot and a couple of 'Yooo slaaags!' pleasingly thrown in for good measure, as he is investigated by Ivan Lewis (Steven Macintosh), a cuckolded Internal Affairs officer who believes that he is more villain than copper.
Seemingly perfect casting doesn't always work out, but Winstone is to the manor born as the cynical, hardboiled veteran, who has been around the block a few times and whose methods are seen as positively Neanderthal by more enlightened policing methods. The tagline; 'Sometimes you have to act like a criminal to catch a criminal' is mouthed by his sidekick, Carter and although clichéd is nonetheless entertaining for it. His affair with his colleague, Nancy (Hayley Atwell), and the wife of the Internal Affairs officer investigating him, is just credible if viewed on an emotional level, but the physical acrobatics between them is laughable, made more so by Winstone's bulky frame and large (passion killing) pants! Ben Drew is nicely cast in a slightly understated role as his partner-in-crime, presumably to offset Winstone's intensity, but I think a better actor such as Tom Hardy would have made the role far bigger and introduced a new and interesting dynamic if the story had been told from the perspective of Carter, instead of Reagan. Their relationship is complex and I think more screen time could have been devoted to telling their back stories, if only to explain Reagan's apparent childless and single status. Clearly, the job of catching villains has consumed his life to the point where it has become an obsession and where the line between right and wrong has become blurred, with any means justifying the ends, but this trajectory (or decline) still needs to be told. In doing so, I would also have made one departure from the TV series and that is to create a stronger ensemble cast with more compelling characters. Having said that, 'The Sweeney's is an enjoyable and high octane romp with genuine moments of tension (the hunt in the underground car park, for example) whose box office success should lead to further sequels and perhaps, a more rounded development of the characters.
You will need to disengage your brain from the plot points because Regan would have so lost his job in any number of myriad ways throughout the film, but once you do, you will realise that London is a creditable and brilliant location for police shoot-em ups like these to be made that are on par with its more illustrious American counterparts. TOWIES will love this film since Essex is the home of petty criminals and wannabe gangsters with some history of gangland crime (the Rettendon murders, for example). You'll be coming out of the cinema shouting 'Yooo slaaags!!'
Ray Winstone plays Detective Inspector Jack Regan, who with his partner, Detective Sergeant George Carter, played by Ben Drew (of Plan B fame) are members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police that deals with violent crime and armed robbery. Both are called to investigate the violent heist of a jewellery shop which results in the slaying of an innocent bystander. The trail leads to Allen (Paul Anderson), a former gang leader and adversary of Regan, who is now on parole but who seemingly has a cast iron alibi. Mayhem ensues as gun battles break out in Trafalgar Square, reminiscent of the bank job in Michael Mann's 'Heat', but this time from the viewpoint of the policemen and a final showdown in a caravan park in Gravesend, Kent. Of course, there are a few twists and turns along the way with Winstone growling his way through the plot and a couple of 'Yooo slaaags!' pleasingly thrown in for good measure, as he is investigated by Ivan Lewis (Steven Macintosh), a cuckolded Internal Affairs officer who believes that he is more villain than copper.
Seemingly perfect casting doesn't always work out, but Winstone is to the manor born as the cynical, hardboiled veteran, who has been around the block a few times and whose methods are seen as positively Neanderthal by more enlightened policing methods. The tagline; 'Sometimes you have to act like a criminal to catch a criminal' is mouthed by his sidekick, Carter and although clichéd is nonetheless entertaining for it. His affair with his colleague, Nancy (Hayley Atwell), and the wife of the Internal Affairs officer investigating him, is just credible if viewed on an emotional level, but the physical acrobatics between them is laughable, made more so by Winstone's bulky frame and large (passion killing) pants! Ben Drew is nicely cast in a slightly understated role as his partner-in-crime, presumably to offset Winstone's intensity, but I think a better actor such as Tom Hardy would have made the role far bigger and introduced a new and interesting dynamic if the story had been told from the perspective of Carter, instead of Reagan. Their relationship is complex and I think more screen time could have been devoted to telling their back stories, if only to explain Reagan's apparent childless and single status. Clearly, the job of catching villains has consumed his life to the point where it has become an obsession and where the line between right and wrong has become blurred, with any means justifying the ends, but this trajectory (or decline) still needs to be told. In doing so, I would also have made one departure from the TV series and that is to create a stronger ensemble cast with more compelling characters. Having said that, 'The Sweeney's is an enjoyable and high octane romp with genuine moments of tension (the hunt in the underground car park, for example) whose box office success should lead to further sequels and perhaps, a more rounded development of the characters.
You will need to disengage your brain from the plot points because Regan would have so lost his job in any number of myriad ways throughout the film, but once you do, you will realise that London is a creditable and brilliant location for police shoot-em ups like these to be made that are on par with its more illustrious American counterparts. TOWIES will love this film since Essex is the home of petty criminals and wannabe gangsters with some history of gangland crime (the Rettendon murders, for example). You'll be coming out of the cinema shouting 'Yooo slaaags!!'