Sweeney 2 (1978): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 1978, Sweeney 2 is an action, thriller, drama and crime film directed by Tom Clegg, running about 104 minutes. “They're back - tougher than ever!” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. The plot is set on a group of bank robbers, who are both violent and successful, strangely getting away each time with an amount around the £60,000 mark, and often leaving behind cash in excess of this sum. The robbers are willing to kill their own team, to get away. As Jack Regan himself puts it after the first raid in the film: "I've never seen so many dead people". Armed with gold-plated Purdey shotguns, they evaded Regan and the Flying Squad for quite some time, before Regan finds encouragement from his Detective Chief Superintendent who was sent down for corruption because Jack wouldn't testify in court for him.

Who’s in it. Sweeney 2 stars John Thaw as Detective Inspector Jack Regan, Dennis Waterman as Detective Sergeant George Carter, Denholm Elliott as ex-Detective Chief Superintendent Jupp and Nigel Hawthorne as Detective Chief Inspector Dilke, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.5/10, Sweeney 2 has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can stream it on Shout! Factory Amazon Channel. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Sweeney 2 page.

If you liked it. Fans of Sweeney 2 tend to enjoy The Dark Knight, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Inception and The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.