cult film freak: JOHN THAW AS JACK REGAN IN THE FIRST THEATRICAL 'SWEENEY!'

Written by James M. Tate / 6/23/2021 / No comments / action , barry foster , body count , colin welland , collin weiland , cop , dennis waterman , diane keen , john thaw , political , seventies , sweeney , thriller , wrong man

JOHN THAW AS JACK REGAN IN THE FIRST THEATRICAL 'SWEENEY!'

6/23/2021 | No comment

Poster art for SWEENEY! Year: 1977 Rating: ***1/2

While THE SWEENEY television series spent equal time with John Thaw's Jack Regan and his younger partner Dennis Waterman as George Carter, they worked overtime turning the devil-faced Thaw into a womanizing sex symbol, hence this theatrical feature hybrid of NORTH BY NORTHWEST about Regan turned Wrong Man force-fed booze (to crash his car and lose his badge), and ALL THE KING'S MEN being that SWEENEY! is a paranoiac Political Thriller with a villain in politician's spokesman Barry Foster, taking out anyone in his path (including Woodward/Bernstein style Collin Weiland) by calling a thug service that seems phone-book ready, far too easy despite the complicated plot involving... not water like another inspiration CHINATOWN... but oil...

And so, with Waterman benign, Thaw's involved in gun fights with tons of running, ducking and hiding. But it's this film's Eva Marie Saint in hooker-with-a-heart-of-gold Diane Keen, working for the villain before reluctantly then willingly not only aiding our runaway rogue, but falling madly and predictably in love: Which is normal since every woman in almost every episode of THE SWEENEY melts for the conventionally unattractive Thaw... but it's England where not only J.R.R. Tolkien writes fantasy. And while SWEENEY! is a violently fun, gritty rollercoaster ride... being based on a series about cop partners, two would have worked better than one: another reason to see SWEENEY 2 instead.

Diane Keen warms up to John Thaw in SWEENEY!

Share This Post :

Tags : action , barry foster , body count , colin welland , collin weiland , cop , dennis waterman , diane keen , john thaw , political , seventies , sweeney , thriller , wrong man

James M. Tate

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.

FAVORITES SHORTLIST

1)OTLEY 2)HELL IS A CITY 3)ROBBERY 4)THE FEARMAKERS 5)CANYON PASSAGE 6)VIOLENT SATURDAY 7)HOT CARS 8)THE BREAK 9)THE CROWDED SKY 10)THE ROARING TWENTIES 11) ANATOMY OF A MURDER 12)CALCULATED RISK 13)SWEENEY TWO 14)RAIDERS FROM BENEATH THE SEA 15)HARDCORE 16)JUNGLE STREET 17)WHITE HEAT 18)AL CAPONE 19)FALLEN ANGEL 20)THUNDER ISLAND 21)SHARKS' TREASURE 22)THE ASPHALT JUNGLE 23)ASH WEDNESDAY 24)THE SYSTEM 25)AIR PATROL 26)THE STONE KILLER 27)SANDS OF THE KALAHARI 28)WILLIAM CONRAD'S BRAINSTORM 29)RIOT 30)THE MAN FROM LARAMIE FAVORITE ACTORS 1)DANA ANDREWS 2)JAMES CAGNEY 3)STANLEY BAKER 4)MARLON BRANDO 5)JACK NICHOLSON 6)CHARLES BRONSON 7)BURT REYNOLDS 8)WILLIAM LUCAS 9)TOM COURTENAY 10)GENE HACKMAN DIRECTORS 1)JACQUES TOURNEUR 2)RICHARD FLEISCHER 3)VAL GUEST 4)STANLEY KUBRICK 5)OTTO PREMINGER 6)ORSON WELLES 7)JOHN GUILLERMAN 8)JOHN LANDIS 9)SAM PECKINPAH 10)MICHAEL WINNER