TheLittleSongbird I absolutely love The Sweeney, it is gritty, violent and very addictive not to mention compelling and I never miss it. Then again, I am a huge John Thaw fan, having loved him since Inspector Morse. Sweeney! is not quite as good as the show, which is a classic to me, but it is a worthy film. The plot is complicated with some holes and the violence level did get quite shocking at times, but the location shooting is superb, the music is great and the action pieces are a real joy. As is the dialogue, one of the main reasons why I love the Sweeney is because of its irresistibly quotable dialogue, and here there is some really juicy dialogue. Maybe I am biased but anything Regan said stood out a lot. The direction is good, but the acting was really good bringing to life some very intriguing characters. The late great John Thaw is outstanding as Regan, and Dennis Waterman is delightful as Carter. Their chemistry together is wholly believable as well, and I also enjoyed the performances of Colin Welland, Barry Foster(actually didn't mind his accent) and Diane Keen. Overall, a worthy film with flaws and not as good as the show, but it is very entertaining on the whole. 8/10 Bethany Cox

captainhowdy1967 People have often speculated about George's behaviour in the last scene of this film, and wondered why he reacted as he did. I watched this again recently and noticed that after McQueen breaks free of his arresting officers, as he runs onto the bridge he shouts 'Johnson' as if he is almost inviting the smiling assassin to take him out. Johnson and his mob duly oblige. It's almost as if he knew it was going to happen. It's possible also that they would have killed McQueen even had he not escaped, since the chap who stripped Lynda Bellingham at the start was also present, pretending to be a road sweeper. Why? Were the going to murder McQueen, or try and free him? Who knows.I've often found the end of this film confusing, and George's reaction is a surprise. Why would anyone be so upset about the death of someone as wicked and nasty as McQueen? Also, with reference to the aforementioned LB, surely even someone as ditsy as Janice Wyatt would have smelt a bit of a rat being coaxed into a hotel room and made to record specific references to Charles Baker and 'going to sleep' before being murdered by lethal injection. What was she told they needed that for? I think it's a bit far fetched to expect anyone to actually do this with no explanation, and none is never offered on screen. I agree with another posting however that the murder scene is surprisingly effective, and Janice certainly looks dead pretty quickly after being given a forced overdose. On the DVD Lynda Bellingham states that she was actually injected with distilled water, and had they caught a vein she might well have gone the same way as her character.

markmartin2305 A no frills film in keeping with the series, the genre and the time.This is a film about edgy London police in an edgy London in the edgy 70's. You could of course substitute "edgy" for "dodgy" in the above sentence and it would still be true...For those of us around in the 70's it, like the series, is fantastically atmospheric. The hair, the clobber (look out for Regan's green anorak), the boozers, the motors, the women.The plot is far less important than the characters who are all superb, and a particular mention for the young (and very beautiful) Diane Keen, and to a lesser extent Linda Bellingham - whose nudity makes you look at those OXO adverts very differently (or it would if they were still on) The film also gives some extra scope to the relationship between Regan & Carter, and there are some edgy moments between the 2, starting with their morning-after-the-night-before and culminating in the dramatic ending and indeed the film's last words. One of the many things I liked about the Sweeney was its realism and how it didn't portray its main characters as heroes but showed their dark sides and their failures.I loved the TV Sweeney, for me John Thaw's (God rest his soul) Regan is one of, if not the, best TV characters of all time and this is an appropriate and very satisfying movie length "episode" Hollywood it ain't guv'nor, and for me thats what makes it the boll***s.

Gary-161 This ropey old seventies schlock turns up as a late nighter ever so often. In an attempt to open up the series for the 'big' (snigger) screen, the makers involved Regan and Carter in a 'big' plot involving government MP's and big business, namely oil barons who will stop at nothing, even dodgy hitmen, to achieve their sinister aims. The result is uncomfortable and frequently risible viewing. The film making is curiously sloppy. Regan and Carter start the film off with a bang by plunging headfirst into self parody by waking up late and drunk with air hostesses draped all over their couch (not that they live together, they're not like THAT). These men are macho, right? They abuse their positions by diverting police vehicles to give their girlfriends lifts to work and have no qualms about drink driving, so SHUT IT! After rolling around the pavements with bear guts and clothes awry, they arrive at Scotland Yard just in time for a bit of far fetched gratuitous violence against a bunch of blaggers (armed robbers, for our cousins across the pond).The funniest performance comes from Barry Foster who, replete with outrageously bogus American accent, plays a blackmailing personal secretary to a government minister who is also into extortion, prostituition and murder. You know, the usual CV. He spends the entire film trying to keep a low profile with his involvement in OPEC dealings in high places by drawing as little attention to himself as possible. He achieves this by sending out two of the most hilariously conspicuous hitmen you've ever seen who run around London with a submachine and bombs wearing a series of very obvious disguises, not least the highly risky impersonation of police officers. A text book discreet hit? How about machine gunning three villains to death in broad daylight in a scrap yard. One of the villains, who suspects a conspiracy behind his girlfriends murder, we are led to believe was not even slightly suspicious of two maniacal police officers holding a machine gun in a plastic bag making unlikely enquiries. You could excuse this heavy handed slaughter as an attempt to make the murders look like a gangland execution. Trouble is, they maintain the same gobsmacking "hello-BANG!-here we are" strategy for the rest of the film. Later on one of the hitmen poses as a window cleaner to plant a bomb in the office of a newspaper reporter. He is seen very obviously handling a suspicious package practically under the nose of actor Colin Weiland (the hitmen are coming! The hitmen are coming!) and then takes out the detonator box while still walking across an office filled with secretaries. Yup, call in the professionals. Not surprisingly he is nearly busted. Later, in another subtle attempt not to draw attention to themselves, the hitmen load a submachine gun on the fire escape of a hotel in broad daylight and then fill a room with lead. In the ensuing chase to kill Regan and actress Dianne Keen (curiously miscast as a call girl) they then shoot dead a bobby on the beat so as not to create a stir in the tv and press. Unsurprisingly, with help like this Barry Foster is doomed to a sticky end which Carter blames his boss Regan for, in a would-be controversial freeze frame ending. LEAVE IT OUT George, those hitman almost shot you to death in a fracas outside your apartment block...so SHUT IT!The budget on this film seems no higher than the series and affords a few cheesy and tacky kipper tie laughs if you're in the mood for some nostalgia. If not, then I'LL give you a RIGHT SPANKING!