The Sweeney is now available to pre-order on DVD and Blu-ray and is set for release in the UK on January 21, 2013!

Amazon.co.uk – DVD
Amazon.co.uk – Blu-Ray

The “Best British action movie in years” (XFM) – The Sweeney – is available to pre-order now in advance of its release in January 2013.

An adrenaline-pumping UK action blockbuster that took cinema audiences by storm, The Sweeney will be the focus of heavyweight marketing activity and a comprehensive PR campaign reflecting key themes of high-octane London action.

As befits a best of British title, The Sweeney will also come complete with slick O-ring packaging on the DVD and Blu-ray, perfect for banishing those post-Christmas blues. The DVD and Blu-ray release will also include over 1 ½ hours of bonus features, including behind-the-scenes action and brand new featurettes! Entertainment One will also be releasing a Blu-ray Steelbook® exclusive to Amazon and Play.com.

Follow the Metropolitan Police Flying Squad’s Detective Inspector Jack Regan (Ray Winstone) and his partner George Carter (Ben Drew) as they navigate their way through London’s criminal abyss. Armed and dangerous, the Flying Squad have their own way of operating, and when an old enemy makes a re-appearance on the London crime scene, Regan and Carter will do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Directed by Nick Love (The Firm), co-written by BAFTA winning John Hodge (Trainspotting) The Sweeney boasts an all-star British cast including not only Winstone and Drew, but also Damian Lewis (Homeland), Hayley Atwell (Captain America: The First Avenger), Kara Tointon (The Football Factory and) Steven Mackintosh (Underworld: Rise of the Lycans).

Source: Geek Syndicate

Damian Lewis is in the thick of the action on Homeland, starring as the Marine Sergeant rescued after years in an Iraqi prison who is revealed to have been turned by the enemy.

But playing DCI Haskins in The Sweeney, who has the thankless task of trying to keep in Ray Winstone’s Jack Regan in check, he was strictly office bound while the rest of the cast were out playing cops and robbers.

“I wasn’t allowed out. I think Haskins was learning some Samba moves somewhere on his own,” he laughs. “Passing the time of day with a banana daiquiri on the corner.”

Despite his disappointment at missing out on the gunfights, he says the experience of being in the film was worth it.

“I just wanted to be in The Sweeney. I just thought it sounded like a right laugh – and it turned out to be! It was a treat. I got to spend a couple of weeks hanging out, working with Ray who I hadn’t worked with before.”

Instead of meeting in rehearsals, the two actors bonded with a day out at the races.

“We got off our t**s,” he says. “We were chucking money away. It was a very expensive day!”

At 41, Damian is a little too young to have watched the original series – where Haskins was played by Garfield Morgan – but was persuaded to take the role by director Nick Love.

“He sat me down and said ‘this is my vision for it’ and I said ‘that sounds fantastic’. It all happened so quickly.”

It also gave Damian, who is married to actress Helen McCory, a chance to return to his “homeland” to work, following his success in the States – and to compare working practices.

“The process of filming is pretty much the same.

“Catering is a bit better over there but only marginally. We did have quite a lot of sushi in on this. It wasn’t pie, mash and beer on The Sweeney, it was sushi and saki, which was very in keeping with the modern Sweeney.

Read the full article at Coventry Telegraph.

A few more clips from The Sweeney press conference/ junket and red carpet premiere on September 3rd:

UK only, unfortunately:

A few ultra-quick glimpses of Damian at the London premiere of The Sweeney, no interviews:

I added more pictures – including HQs – from Monday’s The Sweeney premiere in London to the gallery. Also, check out video of the full press conference (!), as well as clips from the red carpet and a new scene in the film.

Gallery Link:

Public Appearances > 2012 > 2012/09/03 The Sweeney Premiere