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

Detectives Regan & Carter investigate the suspected murder of a prostitute and find that there is major corruption, blackmail and murder bubbling under the surface.

Sweeney! is a TV spin-off that further pushes the grit and grime that had been established in the hugely popular series. Boasting call girls, blood, automatic weapon carnage, more blood and lots of shouting, it does in short have most things fans of the series could want. It also serves as a interesting snap-shot of mid to late 70s London as various sequences operate in and around the old smoke. Yet in spite of its guts and gusto and nicely woven plot {incorporating the oil slant}, it ultimately sags too often and criminally under uses Dennis Waterman's Carter. This is really about John Thaw's Reagan. Fine for fans of the always excellent Thaw, but this was a dynamite duo, and somewhere along the way somebody made a poor decision to focus on one part of the team.

The cast is filled out with notable British actors as the story unfolds. Barry Foster {Frenzy}, Ian Bannen {Too Late the Hero}, Colin Welland {Straw Dogs}, Brian Glover {Kes}and Diane Keen; who was a star of many a British TV production. It's pretty much one for fans only, because you get the feeling that newcomers, although sure to be impressed with its toughness, will wonder just what all the fuss was about back in the sweary Sweeney 70s. 6/10

Without doubt THE SWEENEY is one of the most popular and fondly remembered television shows Britain has ever produced and this was the first of two films made to tie in with the television series . It's certainly the more compelling of the two but where as the sequel did mirror the Thames Television series the original doesn't entirely

One of the reasons for the show's success was its offbeat humour which features here in an early scene

" What you mean Tiny Large ? "

" He's a total animal . I remember we had him down the station and he wouldn't leave his cell so we sent in an alsatian . He broke its jaw and threw it out "

" Dog Day Afternoon "

What is noticeable right from the opening scene is that politics is involved and this film version of THE SWEENEY is very much a political thriller which sets in motion a shadowy conspiracy involving Special Branch trying to bump off DI Jack Regan who knows too much for his own good . It's a bit more grittier than the TV show if only that it shows a graphi scene of a constable getting shot in the head but the whole conspiracy is unlikely and feels false . And the final scene is somewhat confusing

Having said that it's always good to see the underatted John Thaw playing the all drinking all smoking DI Regan during an era when TV cops were nasty but nice crimebusters . Certainly a film that reflects the strengths of the television show and one wonders if Nick Love's big screen version later this year will be a very pale imitation ?