Stars: John Thaw, Dennis Waterman

Summary: This digitally remastered collection features the best bank job episodes from the classic 1970s police series starring John Thaw and Dennis Waterman. Episodes include: Contact Breaker and Night Out.

WIN DVDs by rating this DVD

Average User Rating:

WIN DVDS by being amongst the first to review this DVD. Reviewing DVDs earns you bonus entries and lets you WIN DVDs!Please login before reviewing this DVD. If you're a new user, register for free and enter to WIN FREE DVDs!

If you were watching TV in the mid-1970s chances are The Sweeneywas one of the weekly highlights and these re-mastered collections will have you pining for a time when the only choice was brown or beige, and a monkey would buy you a lot more than a nice whistle. If, however, these episodes are your first taste of Detective Inspector Jack Regan (John Thaw) and Detective Sergeant George Carter (Dennis Waterman) of the Flying Squad, be warned that you will soon be telling friends to "Shut it!" and scouring the pages of Exchange and Martfor a mint-condition Ford Granada in Tawny Metallic (ironically the choice ride for slags in the show was the Jaguar MK2, later to become so closely associated with Thaw's more cerebral take on policework, Inspector Morse).

First aired as 1974's pilot Regan, the show was produced by Thames Television subsidiary Euston Films and ran over four series and 53 episodes. Despite being given strict guidelines on speaking parts, locations and structure, writers were expected to produce scripts very quickly and individual episodes were filmed within 10 working days. Based on this frenetic schedule, the result was a choice parade of slags, blags and assorted lowlife, played out across fantastic London locations with a gritty humour that set the agenda for many of the small-screen cop shows to follow. Regan and Carter manage to fit up a few collars between pints, and even occasionally shed their nylon shirts and flares for a distinctly unromantic interlude between the sheets--brown of course.

This first volume of Sweeney highlights starts in relatively sedate style with "Contact Breaker", written by Robert-Banks Stewart and featuring Warren Clarke (when he only had one chin) as wire-specialist Danny Keever. When parolee Keever seems bang-to-rights for a bank job Regan smells a rat and decides to have a closer look at other possibilities, including the ex-con's missus, Brenda (Coral Atkins). The second episode, "Night Out", is a much more feisty affair, despite nearly all the action being confined to the pub inhabited by Iris (Mitzi Rogers), an old flame of Regan's under suspicion for aiding and abetting the break-in going on in the bank next door. Troy Kennedy Martin's script throws in an Old West-style saloon fight, backstreet beatings and even one for old time's sake when Regan and Iris are forced play the waiting game together. "Well", as one character observes, "it is Saturday night"! --Steve Napleton

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 0
Special Features:	Picture Gallery, Chapter Selection, Biographies, History, Car Trivia
Year:	1974
Release Date:	October 9, 2000
Runtime:	100 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	P T D V D 8052
Label:	Thames Television
Keywords:	Action, Bank, General, Sweeney, Tv, Adventure, Vol, Raids, Jobs
Genre:	Action/Adventure