Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Sweeney 2 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov March 3, 2020

Tom Clegg's "Sweeney 2" (1978) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber. The supplemental features on the disc include vintage trailers and exclusive audio commentary by critic Simon Abrams. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

It's a mess. But someone has to take care of it.

If one does not pay attention to the credits, one can easily miss the fact that David Wickes did not return to direct Sweeney 2. Tom Clegg directed this sequel, and even though there is more sunlight in it, its style and tone are practically identical to those of the first film.

On a gloomy day in London, Jack Regan (John Thaw) meets his former boss, Jupp (Denholm Elliott), whose gambling addiction has ruined his career, and his lawyer. When Regan refuses to recite a bunch of lies that can keep Jupp out of prison, their friendship dies on the spot. Shortly after, Regan and his boys -- the Flying Squad -- begin tracking down a gang of elusive bank robbers that Jupp could not put behind bars because he ran out of time. The job is part of a deal that the two men struck while they still considered each other friends.

The kinky widow of a well-known troublemaker eventually points Regan in the right direction and he lands in Malta with his right-hand man, Detective George Carter (great Dennis Waterman), looking for the gang. However, the Maltese authorities refuse to assist the visitors and after a pointless visit to a posh property that may or may not be used by the robbers the two are sent on their way back to London. Regan’s new boss immediately declares that the ongoing investigation is at a dead end and then recommends that the Flying Squad changes its strategy because one way or another the madness has to stop. The ‘new strategy’ turns out to be a whole lot of drinking and waiting for the robbers to make a crucial error, and when a surprising phone call from Malta warns Regan that the robbers are about to hit another bank in London, it proves to be the right one.

The blending of gritty action and street-smart British humor essentially makes the film immune to ‘serious’ criticism. Indeed, large portions of it look and feel as if they were fleshed out while Clegg, screenwriters Troy Kennedy-Martin, and Ian Kennedy Martin, Thaw and a whole bunch of other actors were having drinks at a very busy pub in London, where every single person contributed with a ‘special’ idea and eventually agreed to compromise so that the end product looks legit. And it does, but only if one has had a few drinks as well. It really is that king of a film, feeling very, very authentic and at the same time slightly nutty. Here’s a sample: While tracking down the ‘blaggers’, Regan and Carter are called in an upscale London hotel where a bomb specialist from Beirut has started deactivating a bomb in his room. Why? No one knows, but it is a serious situation. Carter is then dispatched to meet the expert, dressed as a room service waiter, while Regan and virtually everyone else from the Flying Squad end up at the bar having drinks on the house. After the situation is resolved, Regan arranges a date with a girl who plays hard to get and knows a few things about keys. (This particular ‘subplot’ should not be spoiled because the whole key business is brilliant).

The finale is somewhat predictable, but it is so brutal and graphic that it completely resets the film. It is business as usual for Regan and his crew and in an odd sort of way perhaps a validation of the way these boys have chosen to live their lives – one day at a time, with drinks and fun that could be their last.

*During the same year Sweeney 2 was released, Clegg directed the Blind Man episode from the popular TV series The Professionals. The episode is included in the recently restored Season Two.

**Kino Lorber's release of Sweeney 2 is sourced from a recent 2K remaster that was struck from the original 35mm camera negative. During the restoration process, the film's original theatrical ratio of 1.75:1 was preserved.

Sweeney 2 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Sweeney 2 arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Kino Lorber.

I did a number of direct comparisons with Network Releasing's presentation of the film on this Region-B release. There are a few areas, mostly with close-ups like the one you see in screencapture #1, where the visuals can appear slightly better defined, but I did not think that the difference is meaningful enough to declare that this is a better presentation. I think that the basics are identical, which should not be surprising because the exact same 2K master that the British label worked with was used to produce this release. The color balance is the same as well. The traces of grain management work that I have previously mentioned are retained, but I still think that the overall quality of the visuals is very, very pleasing. Yes, it would have been superior without it, but the remaster is strong and the film has plenty of the organic qualities it needs to look attractive on Blu-ray. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Sweeney 2 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

There are no technical discrepancies to report. The audio is clear and free of age-related imperfections. Some balance fluctuation remain, mostly during the mass footage, but they are undoubtedly inherited from the original soundtrack. I had to turn the optional subtitles a few times because some of the exchanges contain street jargon that is rather exotic. There are no audio dropouts, pops, hiss, or background distortions to report

Sweeney 2 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary - author, critic, and film buff Simon Abrams discusses the production history of Sweeney 2 and deconstructs its narrative.

• Trailer - a vintage trailer for Sweeney!. In English, not subtitled. (3 min, 1080p).

• Additional Trailers - additional trailers for the following titles from Kino Lorber's catalog:
  
  1. Robbery
  2. Sudden Terror
  3. The File of the Golden Goose
  4. The Laughing Policeman
  5. Busting
  6. Trouble Man
  7. The Silent Partner

Sweeney 2 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I can't see how someone that had a great time with the first Sweeney spin-off would be disappointed by Sweeney 2. In certain areas this film is even better, with an even more outrageous sense of humor. John Thaw, a really special actor, earned plenty of critical acclaim for his contribution to the Inspector Morse TV series, but I think that his finest hour was in The Sweeney and the two spin-offs it inspired. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.