Overview: British police series which revolutionised the genre on UK television in the mid 1970s. Jack Regan (see also 'Regan' (1974)) played by John Thaw is a hard edged detective in the Flying Squad of London's Metropolitan police (called 'the Sweeney' from the Cockney rhyming slang 'Sweeney Todd' = 'Flying Squad"). He pursues villains by methods which are underhand, often illegal themselves, frequently violent and more often than not successful.

DVD Verdict: American viewers will know John Thaw from 'Morse' but for many British viewers he will always be 'Jack Reagan' of Scotland Yard's Flying Squad. The Sweeney was complusive viewing in the nineteen seventies. The Sweeney is cockney slang for the Flying Squad a group of elite dectectives who battle organised crime, armeed robbery and other crimes carried out by professional criminals.

The success of the show is due to the partership of John Thaw as Inspecter Jack Reagan and his sidekick Sargent George Carter played by Denis Waterman. Reagan and Carter spend as much of their time drinking, smoking and chasing women as they do catching criminals, this is the seventies after all. Morse may use his brains to catch the criminal, Reagan is more likely to use his fists.

Unlike other British dectective shows the Sweeney does not involve complex murder cases set amougst the middle classes. The bad guys in the Sweeney are working class armed robbers, professional burglars and safe crackers. Reagan and Carter while being totaly honest (the real Flying Squad was famous for it's corruption) behave just like the villians they chase.

Because guns have always been less common in Britain than in the US, even amougst criminals, the Sweeney contains some great fight scenes as the police battle it out with criminals armed with pickaxe handles, chains etc. The show also has some great comic one-liners making it one of the most funny drama series ever.

But, if you don't know your Mockney slang (Cockney rhyming slang), you might have some difficulty following this, one of the grittiest cop shows on either side of the Atlantic. Also, long before NYPD Blue was catching the attention of our FCC censors, The Sweeney features some harsh language, occasional topless girls, and the over the top, violent antics of the fiercest cops in England! All done in the best possible taste, of course! This is a Full Screen Presentation (1.33:1) and comes with the Special Features of:

Interview with creator Ian Kennedy Matin
5 Full Episode Commentaries - with stars Dennis Waterman and Garfield Mrgan, producer Ted Childs, writers Trevor Preston and Troy Kennedy Martin, directors Tom Clegg and David Wiches, and editor Chris Burt
Episode Introductions - by guest stars Warren Mitchell, Wanda Ventham, Prunella Gee, John Forgeham, Billy Murray, Tony Selby and Dudley Sutton
The London Beat Featurette - A look at the success of various U.K. crime/drama TV series
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