The Sweeney: Asks Too Much of the Audience

The film opens with a robbery, masked criminals and all. Just when they think they’ll get away with the loot, here comes a crew of un-marked vigilantes. They’ve got guns, but they’ve also got a weapon of choice: baseball bats. It’s the Sweeney, headed by DI Jack Regan (Ray Winstone). From the beginning of the film, we see what kind of movie we’re in for. And although it takes us on that ride, there’s not many unexpected or exhilarating turns; and aren’t those the best part of a crime thriller?

The film is only loosely based on the 1970s British TV police drama, taking mostly just the same name and the title character. Jack Regan loves his work, as do his fellow comrades. London’s Metropolitan police force sends in the squad to do the dirty jobs. But when an internal affairs officer, Lewis (Steven Mackintosh), is brought in to monitor their affairs, things begin to fall apart. Not only does Reagan have distaste for Lewis’ highbrow demeanor, he’s also sleeping with his wife. DC Nancy Lewis (Hayley Atwell) promises that her marriage means nothing anymore and is headed towards divorce. It’s something Regan clings to and without it he’d be just a grumpy ol’bastard.

After a shoot out in the city, Regan is stripped of his badge and his dignity. Lewis is happy to put the pompous DI in his place. From then on, Regan must re-prove himself and regain his position on the team. Luckily for him, his protégé DC George Carter (Ben Drew) has his back. They’ll have to take down some of the bigest players in the London crime scene in order to prove both of their legitimacy.

The film calls for a massive amount of the classic cinema “suspension of disbelief.” You may ask yourself, “How does an overweight, scrooge-of-a-man bed a hottie like Nancy?” Well he does, she likes him, so deal with it. But then you see Ben Drew and Winstone battling criminals and think, “They’re way too out of shape for this.” Well, they knock out five guys in under five minutes, accept it! But then, as the film continues, the questions only pile up and you have no energy left to lend to belief. And by that point, which is about a third-way through, you’ve given up caring all together.

It’s a difficult genre to crack, especially in Britain where the majority of their big budget films are romantic comedies with Hugh Grant or period pieces with the latest charming grad from RADA. Nick Love is trying to bring back the crime thriller and using the infamous name “The Sweeney” to grab attention. But to make a slick movie you need a slick script. The plot is undeniably fast-paced in The Sweeney, but there are too many holes and too much predictability to keep our interest. We’re left unattached to the events because it’s never clear what the story ever is. Things happen sure, but it’s not a unique story for a second.

There have been plenty of films without a thrilling plot, but they have thrilling characters to make up for it. Perhaps the only lad we feel for in the film is Carter, played by a boyish, empathetic and surprisingly bright Drew. He’s young, has a baby on the way and has a future ahead of him. Therefore, when we see him put it all on the line to punch a guy’s face in for a friend, we fear for the kid. But Regan, although we get to see underneath the hard shell and his softer moments do come through, especially in his relationship with Nancy, we don’t end up caring much about him. We’ve seen this story of redemption before, what makes us want to see it again?

That’s not to say The Sweeney isn’t a fun ride. After all, we all go to movies to live vicariously and feel that if we can’t be the badass in our own lives, we can live through another’s. The squad definitely delivers in the car chases, the witty banter and the high-stakes interrogation scenes. But although these action-movie tricks give you a momentary high, they don’t provide any lasting satisfaction.