Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Konterr Brilliant and touching

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

filippaberry84 I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

robertguttman 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.

allyatherton The Return of London's Flying Squad Starring Ray Winstone and Ben DrewWritten by Nick Love and John HodgeDirected by Nick LoveI was a bit too young to watch the original TV show although I know a bit about it. So I'm not too blind sighted by any memories of the original series. I recorded this a few months ago but never really fancied it but I was wrong. It's a decent movie. The script is really good and the acting and whole production is superb. It contains lots of great action sequences and sharp, witty dialogue. Ray Winstone was born to play this role! There's nothing original to be found here, just a fun, lively movie with something for everybody. I was scratching me head a little bit towards the end because I always have trouble keeping up with these action movie plots but I think I more or less got to grips with it. Overall a fun movie with nothing too deep or complex. Just a movie to enjoy. And I did.A safe 8/10

davidshort10 I really had to review this to vent my spleen. How bad is it? Let me count the ways. Long and rambling with no real plot. Doesn't the writer know about the three act structure? It was obvious from the start that there was another reason for the incident at the end of the jeweller robbery but it took the Sweeney a long time to figure it out. Winstone and his tough Cockney geezer stuff is so boring particularly now he's a fat old git. And fat old its don't get young women except in the movies and on TV and why couldn't we see her arse instead of his fat old one? The proper tension between Haskins and Regan that was in the TV series isn't there. Damian Lewis as Haskins just seems to share a lot of sympathy for Regan's approach whereas Haskins in the TV series always had an eye on upstairs, probably because he was a Superintendent not a DCI like Lewis is. And Carter in the series was a sergeant not a DC as in the film. No constable not enough a DCI could afford to live where Carter lives. They use the term 'Officer' and 'gun and badge' and 'You have the right to remain silent' which are all American terms...Did they think that would help them succeed in America when 'Sarge' and 'Inspector' and a different caution would have been understandable? And overuse of Canary Wharf is a sign of low budget and totally unrepresentative of London. It's easier and cheaper to film in CW than in real London and as a result too many films and TV feature the grim background. Carter is a joke, looks like a bum and looks like he couldn't fight out of a paper bag. The music at the end has an arrangement that nods slightly to the great theme of the TV series. I only watched it to the end because I was stuck in a strange country and had paid money to download it. What a lot of rubbish.

pete36 The big screen version of the tough Brit cop series from the seventies leaves a lot to be desired.The plot itself is paper thin and similar to 100's of other police thrillers but a good opportunity for some fine banter between the co-stars (as in the old series) and some tough action sequences. Sadly this is not the case.The main problem is the two leads : Winstone, obviously in his fifties, is simply too old and too fat for the role. You see him immediately huffing and puffing when he has to chase some bad guys trough the streets of London. The other guy, the supposed sidekick, is one of the least convincing cops you'll ever see, can't act for beans and reminds more of some hoodie from the back streets of Glasgow. Needless to say there is zero chemistry between the two actors. Rest of the cast gets equally wasted, including Damian Lewis.The action is rather OK: a chase/shootout on foot after bank robbers in broad daylight through the center of London (thank you Michael Mann) and a spectacular car chase through an abandoned caravan park (thank you Top Gear Team).So a missed opportunity altogether. Will end its life in the cheap DVD bin of supermarkets.