The Sweeney (2012 film)
The Sweeney | |
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Directed by | Nick Love |
Screenplay by | Nick Love |
Story by |
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Based on | The Sweeney by Ian Kennedy Martin |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Simon Dennis |
Edited by | James Herbert |
Music by | Lorne Balfe |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Entertainment One |
Release date |
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Running time | 112 minutes[1] |
Country | United Kingdom |
Languages |
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Budget | £3 million |
Box office | $7.7 million[2] |
The Sweeney is a 2012 British
The story focuses on two members of the
Plot
Regan receives information about a planned robbery on a
When the Private Bank is robbed the Flying Squad arrives in time to confront the heavily armed robbers, defying their boss D.C.I Frank Haskins (Damian Lewis). After a long chase and shootout the robbers escape, with Makin deliberately shooting Nancy dead in front of an incapacitated Regan. A grieving Inspector Lewis uses the shootout as justification to suspend the entire Flying Squad. Determined, Regan obtains a fake badge and illegal weapon and interrogates a local thug, who unexpectedly confesses that Allen paid him to fake his alibi. Before he can share this information with Carter, Regan is arrested and jailed.
Working separately, Carter tracks down and interrogates a robber wounded in the shootout, who reveals Makin plans to escape via a boat named Pegasus. Shortly after the armed Carter is arrested at gunpoint, only for Haskins to intervene, hoping to save Carter's career. Despite this, Haskins is unwilling to listen to Carter until Carter spots the name "Pegasus" in the Flying Squad's notes: the name of Allen's boat.
Finally connecting Allen and the crimes, Haskins arranges for Regan's release. Regan and Carter head to the docks to intercept Makin and Allen, who manage to escape via car; they eventually pursue the pair to a caravan park where both vehicles crash. Carter exits the vehicle and tries to fire on the pair as they attempt to flee, only to be struck by their vehicle. Makin points his weapon at the wounded Carter, but Regan fatally shoots Makin and then points the gun point blank at a heavily injured Allen, saying "you're nicked," before lowering it.
Some time later, Regan returns to the now reactivated Flying Squad offices, reinstated. He and the rest of the Squad leave on a case, with
Cast
- Jack Regan
- Detective Constable George Carter
- Hayley Atwell as Detective Constable Nancy Lewis
- Detective Chief InspectorIvan Lewis
- Paul Anderson as Francis Allen
- Alan Ford as Harry
- Damian Lewis as Detective Chief Inspector Frank Haskins
- Allen Leech as Detective Constable Simon Ellis
- Steven Waddington as Detective Constable Nathan Miller
- Caroline Chikezie as Detective Constable Kara Clarke
- Kara Tointon as Megan Barret
- Nick Nevern as Freddie
- Ed Skrein as David
- Allan Corduner as a doctor
Production
Development
A film version of the television series was first announced in 2008. The film was to be produced by
Casting
In April 2011, the participation of Winstone was confirmed, for the role of Jack Regan. One of Winstone's earliest roles had been in the TV series of the same name as an unnamed youth. Ben Drew, alias rapper Plan B, took the role of George Carter.[5] It was confirmed by the film's director, Nick Love, that the budget was around £3 million.[6] The film was completed in mid-2012, and released on 12 September 2012. The final amount spent on the production was actually less than £2 million, coming in more than £1 million under budget.[7]
Filming
BBC's Top Gear filmed a car chase for the production in Series 18, Episode 3. The car chase scenes filmed with Top Gear were filmed on the Isle of Sheppey, Kent in Queenborough and Sheerness and the presenters and production team from Top Gear assisted with planning and filming. Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond and James May were reported to have driven but their names do not appear in the film credits. In the episode only Richard Hammond and Jeremy Clarkson are shown.[8][9]
Release
Box office
On the weekend of release, The Sweeney topped the UK
Critical reception
The film received mixed reviews from critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a score of 46% based on 65 reviews, with an average rating of 5.1/10. The site's consensus states: "Ray Winstone exudes tough-guy bravado, but this cop thriller otherwise feels thoroughly generic."[11] On Metacritic, the film holds a weighted average score of 48 out of 100 based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[12]
The New York Times wrote, "Marred by an overbearing musical score and an undercooked plot (by the director, Nick Love, and John Hodge), “The Sweeney” nevertheless looks a lot classier than its characters. Simon Dennis's photography is glossy and crisp, and a lengthy foot chase — making excellent use of the National Gallery — is inventively choreographed."[13]
Metacritic reports a 48 out of 100 rating based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[14]
References
- ^ "THE SWEENEY (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 23 July 2012. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- Internet Movie Database. 7 July 2013. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
- ^ Sky Movies. Archived from the originalon 1 August 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2010.
- ^ Sweeney halts production, filmstalker.co.uk
- ^ Plan B joins Ray Winstone in Sweeney film BBC, 4 April 2011
- IMDb
- ^ Viewsedge.com
- ^ Kent Film Office The Sweeney Film Focus
- ^ "The Sweeney (2012)". Kent Film office.
- ^ Uknetguide.co.uk
- ^ "The Sweeney (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- Fandom, Inc.Retrieved 18 August 2023.
- ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (28 February 2013). "This London Police Unit Will Do Anything". The New York Times.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved 9 March 2016.
External links
- The Sweeney at IMDb
- The Sweeney at Box Office Mojo
- The Sweeney at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Sweeney at Metacritic