The never-ending trend in modern cinema for remakes and updates – mentioned previously on these pages – appears to have hit the shores of Great Britain, too – is anywhere safe? – with tough 70s cop show The Sweeney receiving a revamp/reboot/update/remake for the year 2012. Would it be just another example of the daylight robbery of our beloved television memories? Can the filmic Flying Squad of Nick Love (Football Factory, Outlaw) and co-writer John Hodge (Trainspotting, The Beach) do justice to Regan & Carter after a ‘forty-stretch’?
In crime shows, and films alike, there’s not much I tend to look forward to more than the carefully considered balance of banter and chemistry from the two lead detectives, usually male, usually positioned as opposites with common goals, different agendas – the odd couple, the imperfect pair, that kind of thing. And look at how we’ve been spoiled over the years – Riggs & Murtaugh in Lethal Weapon, Carter & Lee in Rush Hour, Foley & Rosewood in Beverly Hills Cop, and – for British audience members of a certain age – Regan & Carter, originally played by John Thaw and Dennis Waterman.
Get the balance of action, story and burgeoning bromance just right (about 33% of each is usually fine), and it can often elevate an otherwise standard plot into something much more entertaining and enveloping; get it wrong, and the whole thing seems to slowly sink under the weight of audience expectation. Simply, if you have two male leads playing detectives on the big screen, in what appears to be an action movie, history tells us that a few laughs along the way is almost a prerequisite, to be fully expected amongst the cavalcade of crazy criminal capers, a dose of serious detective work and a glut of gunfire and car chases, and maybe a pinch of salt for whatever unlikely ending our writer has in store for us.
The Sweeney, however, undoubtedly suffers from a remarkable lack of afore-mentioned horseplay, and despite the occasional expletive-filled barb from Ben Drew, the movie is almost too serious for its own good, revolving around – and ultimately relying upon – Ray Winstone’s sturdy performance, who seems to revel in the rebellious role of Regan. But writer John Hodge gives us little in the way of fun, save the odd four-letter zinger or knockout blow from either of the films leads, and in their scenes together, Drew and Winstone seem to be going through the motions, lacking true on-screen chemistry as a team, and let down in parts by the oddly quotidian writing and direction. From a production point of view, The Sweeney does flatter to deceive, with contemporary style arching shots of London’s night skyline that immediately felt like the work of a Nolan student. From a production standpoint, whilst slick enough, there’s certainly the feel of a big-budget TV special about 2012′s The Sweeney, and better suited to the small screen.
The experience was not entirely negative – Damian Lewis is typically magnetic as the Flying Squad’s superior officer Frank Haskins, and Steven Mackintosh equally so, as an Internal Affairs officer determined to put a stop to Regan’s reckless antics on the job. The Sweeney would almost certainly benefited from a less serious tone at times – by simply sticking to the Cockney cliches, Ray Winstone as a forceful bent copper with an ego problem, Ben Drew as his sweary but tough rookie partner; The Sweeney is at its best during the scenes that concentrate on the unruly nature of the Flying Squad, led by Regan and Carter, individually so at times – but the drab, unusually depressing feel of proceedings definitely detract from the sense of fun that ought to have been rampant throughout. From a writing standpoint, The Sweeney’s characters seem oddly motivated, driven on by a confused sense of morality as embodied by Ray Winstone’s Regan; at many points during the film, I wondered why I would root for any of this particularly dislikeable lot as they plunder, disobey, cheat, lie and steal – in many instances, they seem more ripe for capture than the criminals they seek to shut down. The Sweeney is at its most entertaining whilst giving the audience what it really wants – the archetypal Cockney exploitation piece – Regan as a rampaging, Tony Soprano-esque human wrecking ball, Carter as his streetwise, sweary partner, more than able to hold his own in a fight; when focused upon individually, Winstone and Drew are fun to watch, let down by the fairly uninteresting nature of their own on-screen relationship.
The final 20 minutes do pass by quickly enough, despite the uncertain pace as the film attempts to gather momentum for a somewhat satisfying conclusion. All in all, though, a forgettable experience that lacks the magic of its inspiration – whilst certainly passable as a no-brain action flick, The Sweeney is epitomized by what it seems to lack – not quite enough banter, not quite enough brains, not quite enough reason for its audience to care. Ultimately, it may tick away but it never threatens to explode.
Deryn O’Sullivan (@silverscene_)
Deryn Paul O'Sullivan 