Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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71 of 71 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As it was and how it should be..., 10 Aug 2005
When you are lucky enough to immerse yourself in a DVD like this you realise just how poor, blighted and wet today's telly really is. Good stories, interesting human villians, flawed policemen that we sometimes find it hard to like and live with, played by excellent actors who know enough about real people to know that "looking cool" isn't acting: it's the fraud that is too often called acting. Crisp acidic scripting keeps us involved and explosive action of an order no longer available on TV make this a valuable addition to any DVD collection and there are jokes and down times that some comedians and all of Eastender's writers would dream about if only they had the imagination. And the music at the start is matched by the moodiness of the music at the end and this time without an undertalented, overpaid TV announcer telling us what's on next all over it, Fantastic!
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43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
End of..., 22 Sep 2006
One of the best British TV Series of all-time and most certainly THE Best Police/Crime Drama that ignited the screen amidst all the controversy surrounding it back in the mid-70's.
Brilliantly written, produced, directed, and acted with a stellar cast which also featured some great supporting actors and actresses of the day. Thank heavens for this series especially now that it is released to our DVD screens in it's complete entirety - I feel so priviledged to be in a position to insert one of it's discs into my player in place of tuning in to the hum-drum 'Reality TV' of the likes of 'Big Brother' and 'Love Island'.
When I was growing up in the Seventies I never fully appreciated "The Sweeney" due to the fact I was too busy watching the glossy, and what appears to be now, 'cotton-candy', type of shows which the american market produced such as "Starsky & Hutch" and the fantastical world of 'Steve Austin' in the "Six Million Dollar Man". However, I was always impressed with the witty repartee between Messrs. Thaw and Waterman but just never fully appreciated the more or less realistic adult theme obviously due to my age and time.
I am so glad that I have now got another bite of the cherry in watching this classic piece of hard-hitting British TV which you won't find being done on any channel anymore - ever again.
The DVD sets are a must-buy and you'll also be delighted with the extras included here - End of!
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36 of 36 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
`We're the Sweeney, son, and we haven't had any dinner', 11 Feb 2007
I wish I had been old to enough to have been able to watch The Sweeney when it was originally broadcast back in the 1970's, in order to have truly appreciated how much impact this show had when it was first shown.
This is a first class TV series, and was truly far removed from any previous Police programmes made. It was superbly produced and directed, was violent, gritty and one of the first to consistently use outside locations and handheld cameras to provide the additional realism that set these series apart from anything else.
First of all I have to say that any companies wishing to remaster classic TV programmes should take note on how well Freemantle Media/Network Video have done with the digital restoration on The Sweeney, as quite simply they have done a superb job. The cleanup of the picture and sound is excellent (with a documentary showing you the different in quality between the original and remastered version) - it a credit to them of the work and effort put in to make this even more enjoyable viewing.
The 4 series were produced between 1975 and 1978, with 53 episodes made. I purchased the 4 Box sets as and when they were originally released, therefore, to be able to get the complete set for just the £40 is ridiculously excellent value and is a essential purchase for anyone who has a remote interest in a superbly produced police drama.
It is evident that John Thaw (Jack Regan) and Dennis Waterman (George Carter) enjoyed working together, and their rapport on screen is excellent. The banter that takes place, particularly when it's just the two of them is tense, funny, at times touching and most of all believable - throughout the series you see Regan battling against his superiors, notably Frank Haskins played by Garfield Morgan.
Further essential DVD's are Armchairs Theatre `Regan', which was the pilot episode prior to the Sweeney being produced, which has also been released as a remastered DVD. Two feature films were also made (The Sweeney and The Sweeney 2) which have just been re-released in February 2007 onto one DVD.
Perfect accompaniment to this box set are the book `Sweeney! - The Official Companion' ISBN: 1-903111-43-9 and also the CD soundtrack `Shut It! - The Music of the Sweeney.
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