One of my all time favorites.

Best movie ever!

Awesome Movie

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

During the 1970s Police Series were the trend and Phenomena with mystery drama's such as Kojak and Columbo that were sober and in their own right classics. But The Sweeney is far the best Police series ever done at its height and certainly more so then the overrated and juvenile Starsky and Hutch that was targeted specifically for image and not quality and heres the Sweeney is better: - 1. The action and scripts are based more on harsh reality and the challenges facing law enforcement. 2. The scripts on which the scenario of crime is based is realistic and packed with action and within the genre of thriller making it entertaining and enjoyable. The stories also go beyond conventional crime exploring other subjects without loosing its original purpose 3. The series is not cheesy or corny and begins refreshed with new episode that does not drag. 4. The car a 1970s Ford Granada is attractive with sport appeal and mature. the chemistry between the main characters also works with exciting music. in conclusion the Sweeney is the best Police Drama / Thriller as it is genuine and does not drag and is focused on trend and quality

I discovered this TV series back in 1977, In France. My homeland. I enjoyed it, although I was only 13. I found it realistic, with very good actors and characters too. Hard boiled cops vs hard boiled gangsters. Far better than Starsky and Hutch series, and American ones in general, always on the same frame. The same built. Here, you found many good surprises in the screenplays. Many clichés were broken. I love being surprised. This kind of stories reminds me Bill James' novels, about Brit police force from the inside, sort of UK version of Joseph Wambaugh's books - POLICE STORY, NEW CENTURIONS. But with a good emphasize on hoods too. Interesting indeed. And with avoiding the stereotypes. Characters very deep described, with their own problems: work and family.One french movie shot in 1971: MAX ET LES FERRAILLEURS could have been a SWEENEY episode. A rough cop ready to ANYTHING to frame a gang of robbers. Cops using hoods methods to achieve their goals.No good or bad cops vs good or bad gangsters.That's exactly what I like.

They operated in the days before the Police and Criminal Evidence Act emasculated the Police. No need for Solicitors and taped interviews in those days! It is interesting to compare Jack the lad Reagan with Morse. Two excellent Police characters and a blind viewer might think they were being played by two totally different actors. John Thaw is much missed. George Carter was probably a bit young and baby faced for a hard bitten Flying Squad Sergeant. Dennis Waterman has made a good living playing the same part in all his subsequent roles. I actually liked the much maligned Haskins who did his very best to keep them in check. In the last episode, Reagan resigned. Was it really the end for him or did he just change his name and transfer to Oxford.

THE SWEENEY is a television series I remember very well from my childhood , and is rightfully regarded as one of the greatest shows to have come out of Britain , and I enjoyed rewatching the show on cable TV a couple of years ago . One thing I did notice during the daily repeats was that the show`s episodes fall between " Comedic " episodes and " violent " episodes. For example a comedic episode revolved around a gangland boss living in Spain trying to get his dog back from his home in London only to have his righthand man bring the wrong dog over ! Cut to right hand man leaving Gatwick airport heavily bandaged and in a wheelchair .Many of the violent episodes also featured a healthy dose of humour. For instance a big butch heavy would be getting interrogated by Jack Regan: " Listen slag we know you done the robbery , you`re going down for fifteen years son . Got that slag ? " To which the big butch heavy would reply " I don`t know what you mean Mister Regan ? " in the most effeminate tones imaginable ! It`s also entertaining to watch scenes where the villain is deliberately played in a completely wooden manner while his victim deliberately goes OTT. But having said that many of the episodes are violent , most notably the episode NIGHTMARE that involves a man being shot in the guts and then has him slowly bleed to death , and later a cold blooded execution. Tarantino couldn`t have made this episode more bloody.Perhaps we should judge the episodes on how memorable they are in which case I`ll recount the repeat I saw where two middle aged parents recieve a telephone call late at night from a man who has kidnapped their son and they have to listen as the son is tortured . I hadn`t seen this episode for over 20 years but seeing that opening scene reminded me of the plot. !!!!SPOILER !!!!! Their son hasn`t been kidnapped at all , it`s just a scam to rip off his rich parents. The penny drops when the kidnapper phoning from a public call box hands the son the phone who starts screaming down the line to his parents