ThiefHott Too much of everything

AniInterview Sorry, this movie sucks

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Jamesfilmfan905 The Sweeney was televisions toughest hardest most violent of its decade in the 70s well at least in the early seasons when in the later seasons it got toned down considerably but despite that criticism aside if u like solid writing story-lines first class acting car chases shootouts and the incredible john thaw and Dennis water-man as the two main characters Detective inspector Reagan and detective Sargent carter . And not forgetting the tough nonsense superior played by Garfield Morgan . I recommend u go for the earlier seasons preferably seasons 1 and 2 where the gritty and some doses of humor whereas the later seasons mid way through season 3 to 4 just lose their grit and become to comedic .

marqymarqy Jack Regan tells various members of the criminal community they are nicked and selected colleagues to "shut it" in this magnificent series which re-wrote the rules of cops and robbers TV drama. Until The Sweeney, scenes involving dialogue between actors travelling in cars employed dodgy back projection which was very noticeable. The Sweeney had a cameraman in the car with the cast while the car is actually being driven. The depiction of violence here was controversial - the thumping Thaw gives Eric Mason in series one closing episode Abduction is particularly brutal - is it justified because he had kidnapped Regan's daughter - we the audience are the judges! Many people cite this series for wrecking numerous Jaguar Mkll saloons - in fact it is an S Type - and there is only one which gets smashed up over and over again ! Bad Apple from series 3 is especially good - with Norman Jones and John Lyons playing corrupt but very effective cops. The closing chase sequence where Thaw and Jones meet at last has scenes filmed at Chertsey lock - into which this correspondent had the misfortune to fall during a Thames boating holiday in 1972! Messenger of the Gods has the taxi driver from Eastenders (Derek Martin)promising that the sexually active young gentleman who "grassed" him (Malcolm McFee, of Please Sir fame) has "earnt 'isself a slappin' " On The Run includes the immortal line where Regan tells a superior that he and Carter (Dennis Waterman) are "working like one armed paperhangers"; and its prequel Taste of Fear features a magnificent portrayal of a new recruit (Norman Eshley) who isn't cut out for life in The Sweeney. Morecambe and Wise appear in Hearts And Minds, much to the amusement of Thaw and Waterman. Witness the end credits where Harry South's reflective theme is matched to evocative black and white stills of John Thaw, Dennis Waterman and Garfield Morgan, who straddle these adventures like colossuses. Watch and enjoy.

ShadeGrenade It was a night to squirm in your armchair - in 2005, B.B.C.-4 put out 'Television On Trial', a series in which programmes from a particular decade were shown to 'experts' who would then debate their merits. One week, the '70's was under the microscope. The dice seemed loaded against the era from the start, as 'Love Thy Neighbour' was included ( some seem to think it was the only I.T.V. sitcom made then ). Other shows included 'That's Life!' and 'The Sweeney'. The 'experts' were the late Alan Coren and Sarfraz Manzoor. Coren defended the shows as much as he could ( only to do an astonishing U-turn at the end ), while Manzoor grumbled and griped like one of the brats from 'Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory'. This guy, born in 1971, obviously had a bad childhood and blames it on the television of the time. When 'The Sweeney' came on, I thought 'he's got to change his tune. The show is a classic' but no, he put the boot into that too.Created by Ian Kennedy Martin, 'The Sweeney' started life as a one-off play for the I.T.V. network called 'Regan', broadcast in June 1974. It presented a tougher police character than had been seen on television before, in fact at times it was hard to distinguish his actions from those of the criminals he was chasing. John Thaw gave a brilliant performance, supported by Dennis Waterman as 'D.S. George Carter', and Garfield Morgan as their no-nonsense superior 'Haskins'. 'The Sweeney' appeared a year later, and quickly established itself as a ratings hit. In 1976, it formed part of a strong Monday night line-up, along with 'Coronation Street' and 'George & Mildred'. The groundwork had been done by the third and fourth seasons of 'Special Branch', a Euston Films production starring George Sewell and Patrick Mower. Despite a number of good episodes, 'Branch' failed to gel, hence its eventual replacement by 'The Sweeney'. The show derived its title from the Cockney rhyming slang for 'Flying Squad' - 'Sweeney Todd'. It should be noted that the B.B.C.'s 'Dixon Of Dock Green' was still on air when Regan and Carter began their battle with the London underworld, and the contrast between the shows could not have been greater. Whereas Dixon greeted audiences with a friendly 'evenin' all', 'The Sweeney' were more likely to knee you in the groin and exclaim: "You're nicked, son!". It set new standards for violence, bad language and nudity. It was compulsory viewing for us strapping lads, albeit embarrassing if viewed in parents' company.It did go over the top at times. One early episode had the Sweeney receiving a tip-off that a bank was due to be robbed, so they staked out a pub across the road. Within minutes of arriving at the scene, Regan was in bed with the landlady, and directing police operations by phone from her bedroom! Another story involved a craze for homemade handguns. When two men got into a scrap, one of these 'cowboy' guns went off accidentally, resulting in their horrific disembowelling. Patrick Mower and George Layton played a pair of Australian con-men in two enjoyable Roger Marshall-scripted episodes. John Hurt guested in 'Tomorrow Man' as a computer expert seeking revenge on the man who cheated him out of a fortune ( George Cole ). And who can forget 'Hearts & Minds' which guested no less than Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise? 'The Sweeney' was so popular it spawned two cinema films. The B.B.C. tried to cash in with their series 'Target' starring Patrick Mower which was, if anything, even more violent ( and which seems to have been virtually forgotten ). More recently, 'Life On Mars' was a superb tribute to the show's greatness, with Philip Glenister's 'Gene Hunt' and John Simm's 'Sam Tyler' doing perfect justice to the memories of Regan and Carter.Violent cop dramas are commonplace now, but in 1975 'The Sweeney' came as a breath of fresh air - it was closer to reality than anything seen before on British television - a fact Sarfraz Manzoor should bear in mind the next time he attempts to watch an episode. Interestingly, when the 'Television On Trial' audience cast its votes as to which decade was the best for television, the '70's won by a landslide! Hard luck, Mr.Manzoor!

tgtround Ian and Troy Kennedy-Martin were the brothers who revolutionised crime drama on British TV in the 1970s. While Troy was a far more political animal, Ian concentrated on commercial TV.However, that doesn't make The Sweeney any less authentic. In fact, many ex-Flying Squad officers have commented on its authenticity, helped by the fact that the producers used to pay real policeman in used fivers as 'technical advisors'.The Sweeney represents Scotland Yard's first proper attempt to stem the rise of violent robberies following the oil crisis and economic slump of the 1970s. It represents the time before the Police And Criminal Evidence Acts changed the face of policing for ever in Britain - a far more free-wheeling, corruption laden time.Policing is shown as hard, tedious work where moral dilemmas must be confronted all the time and there are no sudden leaps in detection, just stress and danger.Particularly impressive in the Sweeney are the number of times that firearms are used - this was really true in the Flying Squad - even back in the good old days...