Yo, there's no way for me to review this film without saying, take your *insert ethnicity + "ass" here* to see this film,like now. You have to see it in order to know what you're really messing with.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The tone of this movie is interesting -- the stakes are both dramatic and high, but it's balanced with a lot of fun, tongue and cheek dialogue.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

It's just as well that British policemen aren't permitted to carry firearms if this is how they would carry on if they did. "The Sweeney" is about the London Metropolitan Police's elite armed "Flying Squad". In Cockney parlance, "Flying Squad" rhymes with "Sweeney Todd", which is why they call themselves "The Sweeney". They are somewhat analogous to the SWAT (Special Weapons And Tactics) teams deployed by U.S. police forces, except that the only tactic the Sweeney appears to employ is simply to rush in and shoot everybody in sight. "The Sweeney" is a remake of a popular British television series of the same name from the 1970s. The original starred John Thaw as DI Jack Regan, the head of the London Metropolitan Police's special, armed "Flying Squad". That was before Thaw moved to Oxford, mellowed and morphed into "Inspector Morse". This time around the role of Jack Regan has devolved upon tough-guy actor Ray Winstone. Winstone portrays Regan as the sort of policeman who believes that doors are not made to be knocked on, but to be knocked down, and preferably with his head. Not surprisingly, DI Regan is having difficulty with his superior, who is annoyed with the amount of collateral damage (i.e., dead citizens) that The Sweeney have been leaving in their wake. He is also somewhat miffed at the fact that Regan has been cohabiting with his wife, but that is only by the way. The fact that the villains are even more violent than The Sweeney does not seem to mitigate the situation for Regan. The villains in question are actually armed with assault rifles, for which they carry a seemingly unlimited amount of ammunition, as they blast their way through Piccadilly Circus in the midst of the rush hour. It's all very un-British. There's not a lot of clever, cerebral detective work in evidence here, as is usually the case in British crime dramas. In "The Sweeney", detective work seems to consist mainly of arresting known "slags", dragging them into the back room of the police station and beating confessions out of them. Not once do any of these policemen say anything polite, such as, "we were hoping you might assist us with our inquiries". Nor do any of The Sweeney ever offer a suspect a cup of tea during questioning. The language spoken in the film also takes some getting used to. Those who do not speak "London" fluently might require subtitles. Between the slang and the heavy cockney accents, it's sort of like reading Chaucer in the original Middle English; if one concentrates, one will probably be able to understand about half of what is said. However, those who like lots of destructive car chases and violent shootings will not be disappointed.

Inspired by the British television police drama of the same name, 'The Sweeney' is Rough but Tough! Its a hardcore cop-drama, heightened by a solid central performance by the under-rated Ray Winstone.'The Sweeney' Synopsis: A hardened detective in the Flying Squad of London's Metropolitan police, takes charge against criminals. 'The Sweeney' has a few faults & one in particular being its slow-paced narrative. The film unfolds lethargically in its first 45-minutes, which frankly, aren't captivating enough. However, the brilliantly executed action-sequences & Winstone's solidly stern performance as the tough cop, manage to hold your attention, even when these flaws pop-up. Nick Love's Screenplay & Direction, both, are impressive. But his Writing leaves something to be desired. There is a lot of fun to be had here, but at times, the sequences come across as dry. Sharper Writing was the need here. Nonetheless, Love has Directed the film well & the stark look fits in perfectly. Cinematography & Editing are well-done, as well.On the whole, 'The Sweeney' isn't remotely flawless, but its still a film to reckon with.

The big screen version of the tough Brit cop series from the seventies leaves a lot to be desired.The plot itself is paper thin and similar to 100's of other police thrillers but a good opportunity for some fine banter between the co-stars (as in the old series) and some tough action sequences. Sadly this is not the case.The main problem is the two leads : Winstone, obviously in his fifties, is simply too old and too fat for the role. You see him immediately huffing and puffing when he has to chase some bad guys trough the streets of London. The other guy, the supposed sidekick, is one of the least convincing cops you'll ever see, can't act for beans and reminds more of some hoodie from the back streets of Glasgow. Needless to say there is zero chemistry between the two actors. Rest of the cast gets equally wasted, including Damian Lewis.The action is rather OK: a chase/shootout on foot after bank robbers in broad daylight through the center of London (thank you Michael Mann) and a spectacular car chase through an abandoned caravan park (thank you Top Gear Team).So a missed opportunity altogether. Will end its life in the cheap DVD bin of supermarkets.

Sad and silly. A glorification of an impossible machismo that could never survive one day in the real world. I like people who believe Man can be so strong, they are so easy to deceive. Like lambs to the slaughter. The plot is childlike, good guys versus bad guys,the good guys literally fight crime, as in with their fists, like crime and all of its ethereal origins can somehow be battered into submission with mere physical strength. Comically hyper-masculine wish fulfillment, working-class British tough guys, does this stuff work in England? Like is it plausible? People don't dismiss this horsesh*t out right? I thought you were smarter than this England, maybe it's just the accent.