Ranald Graham is something of an auteur when it come to writing for THE SWEENEY . His episodes aren't usually ones that are simplistic tales of the Flying Squad catching slags doing a blag - they're often of political importance . Supersnout sees some West German detectives find out how their opposite numbers in Britain operate , though it's slightly let down by failed attempts at humour . Nightmare is one of the most violent pieces of television ever made in Britain featuring a drugs cache and the IRA . Graham also scripted THE SWEENEY film from 1977 and that was more akin to a political thriller with the characters from the shoe clumsily shoe horned in . Perhaps these aren't criticisms but it's noticeable how different some of the writing style is from episodes by other writers . One can' help thinking Graham would have been more at home in Hollywood writing thrillers
This episode Thou Shalt Not Kill is easily seen as being inspired by The 1972 Olympic Massacre in Munich . A bank is raided and the armed robbers realising they're trapped take some hostages and it's left up to DCI Frank Haskins to try and resolve the situation . There is a slight problem with the episode and that is that things are painted a bit too simplistic . The episode ends with Jack Regan whining that if Haskins had only listened to hi advice the outcome would have been very different . But would it have ? We all know that hindsight is the best sight of all and perhaps the episode doesn't focus enough on dilemma Hskins faces
It's also interesting how cold cruel and callous the robbers Wands and Morris are . They're not the old style mythical " we don't hurt women and kids guv " type of criminal - they're portrayed as out and out psychos very much in keeping with the character of the show , but it's revealed they've been treated rather leniently b the authorities in the past and this compassion from the state as had no effect upon them . It makes for an interesting political subtext and one that might be deemed as unacceptable for television nowadays though the problem I had has nothing to do with the politics , rather in the simplistic way they're presented . It could have been the best episode ever from the show but it isn't despite it being very good
This episode Thou Shalt Not Kill is easily seen as being inspired by The 1972 Olympic Massacre in Munich . A bank is raided and the armed robbers realising they're trapped take some hostages and it's left up to DCI Frank Haskins to try and resolve the situation . There is a slight problem with the episode and that is that things are painted a bit too simplistic . The episode ends with Jack Regan whining that if Haskins had only listened to hi advice the outcome would have been very different . But would it have ? We all know that hindsight is the best sight of all and perhaps the episode doesn't focus enough on dilemma Hskins faces
It's also interesting how cold cruel and callous the robbers Wands and Morris are . They're not the old style mythical " we don't hurt women and kids guv " type of criminal - they're portrayed as out and out psychos very much in keeping with the character of the show , but it's revealed they've been treated rather leniently b the authorities in the past and this compassion from the state as had no effect upon them . It makes for an interesting political subtext and one that might be deemed as unacceptable for television nowadays though the problem I had has nothing to do with the politics , rather in the simplistic way they're presented . It could have been the best episode ever from the show but it isn't despite it being very good
