The Sweeney is a 2012 British
action drama film, inspired by the 1970s
The Sweeney, the
British television police drama of the same name, but set in contemporary
London. Directed and written by
Nick Love, and co-written by
John Hodge, it is based on the characters created by
Ian Kennedy Martin. It stars
Ray Winstone as Jack Regan,
Ben Drew as George Carter and
Damian Lewis as Frank Haskins, with
Hayley Atwell and
Steven Mackintosh. The story focuses on two members of the
Flying Squad, a branch of the
Metropolitan Police. The Squad's purpose is to investigate commercial
armed robberies, along with the prevention and investigation of other serious armed crime. The title is derived from
Sweeney Todd, which is
Cockney rhyming slang for "Flying Squad". The film was released on 12 September 2012.