The Sweeney (2012 film) The Sweeney (2012 film) 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, Plan B (credited as Ben Drew) as George Carter, and Damian Lewis as Frank Haskins, with Allen Leech and Hayley Atwell. The story focuses on two members of the Flying Squad, a branch of the Metropolitan Police. The
Flying Squad led to a massive internal investigation by the Dorset Constabulary into the Metropolitan Police Service and the City of London Police, codenamed Operation Countryman. The Flying Squad's work was dramatised in the 1970s British television series "The Sweeney", and two theatrically released feature film spin-offs, "Sweeney!" and "Sweeney 2", starring John Thaw and Dennis Waterman. A further film adaptation, "The Sweeney" (starring Ray Winstone), was released in 2012. In the 1940 George Formby film "Spare a Copper" Formby plays a War Reserve Constable intent on winning admission to a newly formed Flying Squad in Merseyside. In the 2002 video game