Sweeney 2 (1978)

I love the series, and love the first movie more. So I was looking forward to the second movie but I have mixed feelings after seeing it. All the way through I was waiting for this one to come to life and it kind of roused itself for the ending. The main problem was the story - it was there but it just wasn't executed very well. At the beginning there are a trail of bodies but you don't see much action from the robbers only the aftermath which is why the first film was so great - the bad guys were BAD and it showed you why but the most you get in this film is a few shots of them shooting at the ceiling? However there is a lot of banter in the film, its really very funny and it is always a joy to watch John Thaw and Dennis Waterman as Regan and Carter. At the death I was satisfied but i feel it was probably rushed, lacked direction, lacked the gut punch effect of the first movie and had too many pointless scenes in it. Its a shame really I would like to have seen more movies from this team with a bit more passion and focus in it.

The second movie outing for everyone's favourite rough diamonds, Regan and Carter.When a team of well-trained villains commit a string of bank robberies, only the hard drinking, womanising men of The Flying Squad have any chance of catching them and stopping the crime spree.And it's a hit and miss affair. Whilst the nostalgic shots of London are always a treat, and the dizzying array of classic cars never fails to please, the plot line here is confused and unfocused, with far too much time spent behind the scenes, following Regan and Carter's antics away from the Force.The calibre of actor on show is impressive, with several notable cameo's from top British talent, not least Nigel Hawthorne and, of course, Thaw and Waterman are always worth a watch.Whilst this would be the last of the Sweeney spin-off movies, I'd say it's only recommended to die hard fans as the cripplingly slow pace will put others well and truly off.Average, then.

I will go with the majority opinion here. Sweeney 2 definitely beats Sweeney as the best film spin-off. No silly conspiracy stories, just good old fashioned blaggers and Regan and Carter doing what they do best. Not to say that Sweeney was a bad film, just it was too far removed from the series.The story pits our favourite coppers against a gang of ex-pat blaggers who travel back to England from Malta every time they need more funds. As a highly professional, ruthless group, they are not easy to catch and Regan finds himself under the cosh, being pressured by his boss (Nigel Hawthorn) to get a result before the inquiry is taken away from them.Sweeney 2 is more than just an extended Sweeney episode. It's considerably stronger in terms of both violence and bad language that even the ground-breaking series never approached. The fact that in the cinema it was certified 'AA' (now 15) but has always been an X/18 rated video shows that it hasn't mellowed over time.Although the film drags badly in the middle, this is more than compensated for by the spectacular action scenes and a tense final 25 minutes. The scene where the blaggers crash a Ford Cortina through a shop window, and leaving a police car trailing in it's wake, is an absolute corker and one of the iconic images from the film (look at the video cover if you don't believe me).Although Sweeney 2 is very much a film for fans of the series, I'd highly recommend it to anyone who likes a good police yarn. There is definite nostalgia value of the scenes of '70's London and it's great playing 'spot the familiar TV actor' as the film included the likes of Ken Hutchinson, Brian Hall, Georgina Hale and Derrick O'Connor.

Regan and Carter, two tough London cops from Scotland Yard's Flying Squad, are investigating a gang of blaggers. They trace the villains to Malta where they are living in retreat from the profits of their bank jobs, but are unable to link them to their crimes. The gang however have one last job to pull off, but it doesn't go to plan.This is the weaker of two movies spun off from the quintessential British TV cop-show of the seventies, but despite being made by the same people, neither have the dramatic quality or the tight plotting of the series. The script is an unusually weak one, given the talent of writer Troy Kennedy Martin (who wrote for the TV show and whose brother Ian conceived the characters), which dilutes the bank-robberies plot with unnecessary filler and doesn't give Thaw anything substantial to do. The film does however have a good support cast of experienced British TV actors, and the tremendous chemistry that Thaw and Waterman developed over four years working together. And it's nice to see a movie which portrays the cops as drunken, bad-tempered, untidy, irresponsible, chain-smoking, fast-food-munching, porn-watching, on-the-take thugs. Neo-realism at last !!