In the 1970s, Ian Kennedy Martin’s “The Sweeney” was a ground-breaking British television drama that exposed the rough underbelly of the Metropolitan police force- one which had previously been ignored by the media.  Now, over 30 years later, police brutality and corruption seems rather passé; countless TV programmes and films have explored the dark side of law enforcement.   So what can the big screen reboot of the iconic British coppers, The Sweeney, offer in the year 2012?  With writer/director Nick Love playing a poor man’s Michael Mann, the answer is: not much at all.

As Ray Winstone steps into John Thaw’s shoes as the leader of the flying squad, Jack Regan, some artistic license has been taken in modernising the character.  Regan’s drinking has been swapped for a more serious level of corruption: theft.  Yes, in a move that seriously alters the complexion of Regan’s character, Winstone’s hard-nosed cop isn’t averse to nicking the loot after nicking the baddie.  Meanwhile, Ben Drew gives George Carter a chav-tastic street makeover.  If anyone was ever going to point out to Mr Plan B that it would be acting to not play Carter in such a manner, it certainly wasn’t going to be Love.  Hayley Atwell joins the action as a fellow member of the unit, who, entirely unbelievably, is servicing Regan’s member on the side.  Her character also happens to be married to the internal affairs agent (Steven Mackintosh) investigating The Sweeney’s questionable tactics.  No conflict of interest there, then.  Blissfully ignoring the threat facing the unit, Winstone and Co ferociously hunt down a pack of jewellery store thieves who have executed a seemingly innocent civilian.  Not that any of this seems to truly matter, but a film does, technically, need a plot, after all. Read More…