The Sweeney (2013)

It's just as well that British policemen aren't permitted to carry firearms if this is how they would carry on if they did. "The Sweeney" is about the London Metropolitan Police's elite armed "Flying Squad". In Cockney parlance, "Flying Squad" rhymes with "Sweeney Todd", which is why they call themselves "The Sweeney". They are somewhat analogous to the SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) teams deployed by U.S. police forces, except that the only tactic the Sweeney appears to employ is simply to rush in and shoot everybody in sight. "The Sweeney" is a remake of a popular British television series of the same name from the 1970s. The original starred John Thaw as DI Jack Regan, the head of the London Metropolitan Police's special, armed "Flying Squad". That was before Thaw moved to Oxford, mellowed and morphed into "Inspector Morse". This time around the role of Jack Regan has devolved upon tough-guy actor Ray Winstone. Winstone portrays Regan as the sort of policeman who believes that doors are not made to be knocked on, but to be knocked down, and preferably with his head. Not surprisingly, DI Regan is having difficulty with his superior, who is annoyed with the amount of collateral damage (i.e., dead citizens) that The Sweeney have been leaving in their wake. He is also somewhat miffed at the fact that Regan has been cohabiting with his wife, but that is only by the way. The fact that the villains are even more violent than The Sweeney does not seem to mitigate the situation for Regan. The villains in question are actually armed with assault rifles, for which they carry a seemingly unlimited amount of ammunition, as they blast their way through Piccadilly Circus in the midst of the rush hour. It's all very un-British. There's not a lot of clever, cerebral detective work in evidence here, as is usually the case in British crime dramas. In "The Sweeney", detective work seems to consist mainly of arresting known "slags", dragging them into the back room of the police station and beating confessions out of them. Not once do any of these policemen say anything polite, such as, "we were hoping you might assist us with our inquiries". Nor do any of The Sweeney ever offer a suspect a cup of tea during questioning. The language spoken in the film also takes some getting used to. Those who do not speak "London" fluently might require subtitles. Between the slang and the heavy cockney accents, it's sort of like reading Chaucer in the original Middle English; if one concentrates, one will probably be able to understand about half of what is said. However, those who like lots of destructive car chases and violent shootings will not be disappointed.

"The Sweeney" is a carefully nuanced psychological study about the challenges and stresses of modern police work. Understated and modest, it moves towards a delicately handled emotional conclusion where the various intelligent plot lines meet and mingle. Its subtle calm and intimate...BWHAHA HAHA ! Almost had you going there !Nah, the movie is just an excuse to watch cops going medieval on gangsters' asses. At this level, it certainly delivers : the viewer gets many a beautifully filmed gun fight, battle and car chase. Most of it is set against the background of a modern London pulsing with glamour, promise and menace - well done, again. The persons who did the casting deserve a large, a very large crate of pink champagne, since many of the actors look as if they were born in order to perform these roles.Sadly, the movie is cliché-ridden. Brilliant but rash policemen overseen by a more reticent boss and hounded by a mean-spirited bureaucrat from Internal Affairs ? The pattern exists at least since the 1960's. Moreover there is an argentinosaurus-sized hole where good sense is concerned. In Great-Britain, as in most democratic societies ruled by law, criminal prosecutions and trials tend to collapse when it becomes clear a) that evidence was obtained in a cavalier or illegal manner or b) that suspects or witnesses were mistreated. Apply these rules to the kick 'em beat 'em stomp 'em tactics of the police team involved and it's safe to say that much of their activities are futile at best, counter-productive at worst. As a result they might just as well spend their time breeding prize rabbits or writing a hagiography about Saint Jan Berchmans.

My attention switched off half way through the film and I started doing other things. John Thaw was impossible to replace (even though I love Ray Winstone), and Carter just came across as completely dim and uninteresting. Although I love Ray Winstone I found the romantic interest a bit disturbing and completely unbelievable. I watched the whole film but as my attention kept wandering I have no idea what the conclusion of the film was and can't face watching even the second half again! I am a complete Sweeney fan and have watched the old series and films on a number of occasions but I can't say this lived up to the name. Obviously lots of money was spent on the film but it just came across as set pieces and as someone who has spent a lot of time in London, very unbelievable.

This film is strong on action which is violent most of the time. The London depicted in it is very different from the London of the original TV series. This is a re-developed London and Docklands, the night photography was good and enjoyable. So were the interiors, clinically clean. The dialogue contained too much swearing for my taste. it was strong on the "macho" short on the witty. The car chases were great. Just as well there were no cyclists on those country roads with that psychopathic driving from villains and Sweeney. Perhaps I was looking for the TV series Sweeney-speak... "OK son you're nicked" and the rhyming slang, but then would you call a mobile phone a "dog and bone"? The final car chase was good with hand-break turns worthy of rally driving. I was expecting the tyres to blow before the guns went off. The filming was good. The Regan and Carter in the film lacked the camaraderie of the original characters and the dialogue was coloured with so many swear words, I didn't really notice much else. For me the film dialogue lacked the humour and wit of the original TV series, but the setting and filming made up for that.