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.
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.