FILM REVIEW
Review Scoring Chart - 10: Masterpiece; 9: Outstanding; 8: Very Good;
7: Good; 6: Above Average; 5: Average; 4: Below Average; 3: Bad; 2:
Awful; 1: Reprehensible; 0: Non-Functional.
THE SWEENEY
Dir: Nick Love
Stars: Ray Winstone, Ben Drew, Hayley Atwell, Damian Lewis, Paul Anderson
Running Time: 112 mins
Ignoring such travesties as The Keith Lemon Movie (don't ask), British filmmaking has enjoyed something of a revival over the past two years. The Sweeney,
a present-day adaptation of a popular '70s tv programme about 'ard as
nails cockney coppers in fast cars and kipper ties, marks a bold attempt
to offer an alternative to Hollywood action blockbusters, infused with a
distinctly local sensibility.
Director Nick Love's prior filmography does not inspire confidence. The Firm, Outlaw and The Football Factory
tediously glamourised hooliganism and brutality, while his two-time
acting collaborator Danny Dyer is now best known for offhandedly
suggesting in his Zoo magazine advice column that a man slash his
ex-girlfriend's face. The Sweeney doesn't break Love's bad
habits, but is at least technically proficient and occasionally
ambitious enough to show a director looking to challenge himself.
Considering the movie's extensive time in development hell, which saw the production budget slashed by two thirds, Sweeney looks terrific. This is as much a city story as Christoper Nolan's Batman trilogy or Michael Mann's Heat,
the latter a strong referenced inspiration, and Love takes his
audience on a full London tour, from the City's glass palaces to the
gritty East End neighbourhoods. The economic divide between the city's
two faces is an undercurrent throughout: Jack Regan's team of rough and
ready coppers clash with snobby bankers and high ranking Metropolitan
police bureaucrats looking to discredit them. Regan's partner and best
friend, George Carter, is a council house thug turned good. It's a
shame this is never put to any notable thematic use, but gives the
story a timeliness which intelligently repositions the television
series' working class roots.
Nuance isn't Love's forte, and his handling of the squad's violent
methods indicates more awed admiration than measured debate. You have to
wonder what the families of Ian Tomlinson, Jean Charles de Menezes, or
Hillsborough tragedy victims (all instances of police murder where the
officers in question were subsequently, unjustifiably, cleared) would
make of a movie which sees corruption and thuggery as a positive among
law enforcers. There are hints Jack is suffering for a life spent in
battle, with no stable home or family life, but they feel separate from
the main story and strike an uncomfortable contrast to how the rest of
his squad see Jack as a hero for his willingness to beating up suspects
without evidence. The television series didn't shy away from having
its protagonists indulge in wanton violence, but apart from the
difference in moral standards between the '70s and now, presented
itself with enough flair and wit to let viewers know they weren't
supposed to be taking it seriously. Love's film misjudges its tone and
seems under the impression it is making a statement. Daily Mail devotees will love it.
The plot is equally baffling, twisting and turning every ten minutes
before ending back more or less where it started. I've read a synopsis
of the movie since seeing it and still am not entirely sure what was
supposed to be happening, despite the abundance of exposition.
Fortunately, Love has put together a strong cast which keeps the movie
watchable even when barely comprehensible. Ray Winstone has been playing
this sort of part for years, but it's fun to see him indulge in a lead
role, even with the questionable characterisation. Ben Drew, aka rapper
Plan B, offers solid support, although his drawled, slightly monotone
delivery may prove difficult to understand for international viewers, or
anyone unfamiliar with the specific kind of working class character
he's portraying.
Hayley Atwell, best known for roles in Captain America and The Duchess,
is as incandescent and teasing as ever, but despite ostensibly playing
the tough girl, her character, Nancy, is mainly reactive and doesn't get
enough screentime. The grim sight of her getting a seeing-to from Ray
Winstone in a public loo may also sear itself into your brain for an
unpleasantly long time. The same can be said for Damian Lewis, an actor
I've often found insufferable but who makes a decent fist of Regan's
supervising officer, Frank Haskins, despite being mostly limited to
hushed expressions of concern or disappointment over the methods
employed by the Sweeney (rhyming slang from Sweeney Todd for the team's
official title of Flying Squad).
The action is staged with great proficiency, particularly a mid-movie
gunfight across Trafalgar Square. Unlike many Hollywood directors, Love
holds his camera steady and allows his action to generate excitement,
rather than relying on distracting directorial gimmicks. While budget
restrictions prevent anything too explosive from going down - the scene
mainly involves Regan and his squad moving between cover and returning
fire - the iconic location is something of a coup for the movie and fun
to see getting shot to pieces. A subsequent scene where Regan and Nancy
pursue villains through public offices and a car park shows a similar
knack for making the most of limited means, while the climactic car
chase through a caravan park is well shot and shows the dry sense of
humour which made the television programme such fun.
It's a shame that flavour is so lacking elsewhere, making the movie
feel like a generic televised cop drama in its more languorous moments.
Its messy plot and seedy violence can get wearying over its near-two
hour running time, even if strong work from the actors and occasional
flashes of inspiration (Winston gets a moment mirroring his breakout
role in Scum, while Love's cross-cutting between a bank robbery
and children running a short-distance race is neat) give it a longer
life than deserved. Despite his distasteful moral position, Love has a
good eye for an action sequence, but is let down by other movies'
ability to afford bigger and better at the same ticket price. It's a
relief Sweeney isn't as criminal as feared, and Love and his
crew deserve credit for pushing a tiny budget beyond expectations, but
you'd be hard pressed to call it arresting. [ 5 ]
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