The film is about criminal fighters in old schools who enforce the law differently. Led by legendary detective Jack Reagan and his faithful partner, these people emerge as they have their own unique way of working towards their goals.
Winstone is, as always, perfectly believable as a tough guy and after a slow start - due, somewhat, to American ears adjusting to those problematic accents - the film hits a groove.
Let's not waste each other's time. You already know whether this sounds like the kind of top bloke you'd fancy having a pint with. If so, The Sweeney is your film.
Love may have plonked his protagonists in the modern world but they still feel trapped in a long-gone era, when police brutality was commonplace and women knew their place.
The film is just stylized enough to register as above average, but on the whole it's pretty forgettable - the kind of film you describe with a noncommittal "interesting," while walking out of the theater.