Review of The Sweeney (2012) by James S — 07 Sep 2012

When Ray Winstone's arms punch Robocop style through a wall to apprehend a criminal in the frantic opening segment of The Sweeney, it's clear that this isn't going to be a film that is taking itself too seriously. If you don't take it too seriously either then chances are that you'll enjoy it a whole lot more.

Born from the 1970s TV show, this version of adventures of London police's flying squad owes more to Michael Mann's Heat and BBC dramas such as Spooks and Inside Men than it does it's source material. Ray Winstone heads the cast as Jack Regan, the unorthodox law enforcer who takes policing to the extreme (i.e. using a baseball bat) but gets the required results. His main guy is George Carter, here portrayed by Ben Drew. I think he's a singer or something in real life. Hayley Atwell and a bunch of British TV players make up the squad. Early on they're portrayed as a the equivalent of an 80s stadium rock band - they go in, do the gig before partying hard with lots of booze and shagging in the toilets. But that's not to say they're not a likeable bunch, even if you wouldn't want to be sat next to them on their Christmas night out.

The plot gets going with internal affairs guy Steven Mackintosh (so good in BBC's Inside Men and equally creepy here) sniffing around the unit with a disapproving look while Damian Lewis tries to play peacemaker between him and Winstone. At the same time, a jewellery store robbery gone wrong attracts the attention of The Sweeney and a cat and mouse hunt for the perpetrators ensues.

The Sweeney comes up with some good set pieces, even if they aren't wholly original. A high speed chase down a narrow country lane is pretty hair raising as you keep expecting a tractor to loom into the camera at any moment. The big one is a shoot out in Trafalgar Square which heavily feels the influence of the bank robbery scene in the middle of the aforementioned Heat. It can't really compete with that scene but it gives it a good enough go.

Sometimes the tone of The Sweeney is a bit mixed. It can't seem to decide if it wants to play itself for laughs or thrills. There are a good number of funny moments in the film, mainly stemming from the camaraderie between Winstone and Drew but then it'll lurch into some pretty hard violence all too quickly. John Hodge, who wrote the exceptional Shallow Grave, had a hand in this script and that would seem to have been a good idea as left to director Nick Love, this could well have ended up as Danny Dyer style tosh.

The film under uses some of its talent. Hayley Atwell isn't given enough chance to convince us of her relationship with Winstone but makes a good effort while Steven Mackintosh is a much more interesting character than the villains of the piece and would have been welcomed in a few more scenes.

The Sweeney does a lot of stuff well too though. Winstone and Drew have good chemistry and the whole thing is never boring. The chase scenes are well done and the plot makes sense just about. I don't think anyone was aiming for high art here and some may find the constant talk of "slags" a bit grating but this is largely entertaining, if mindless, fun.