I haven't read the comments of others, so I'm not sure why it's rated so low. This is a pretty decent yarn with some good action and suspense in it. The story is almost believable. A drug dealer is detained by the Police and offers $100 million to anyone who can spring him. The offer is taken up by several people and the Los Angeles Police Department finds itself outgunned. Their only hope is the newly formed SWAT team, headed by Samuel L. Jackson. The whole SWAT thing is new and no one likes it. While, today, many people still don't like the idea of SWAT teams, they are now a part of the law enforcement landscape. It's too "Military" for most people. The film shows the build up and some of the training of the SWAT team, and their duel with the bad guys in the end. It kept my attention and I found it entertaining. And isn't that what the industry is all about? I gave it a 7.
373 Reviews
Average good action film
dromasca10 February 2004
S.W.A.T. is a nothing more and nothing less than what you expect from it - god action film, the script is very predictable and full of clichees, but it has enough logic and good sense to avoid the ridicule. Acting is average good, effects are average good, and directing is average good - so what you get is an average good action film. Get your popcorn, biers as well if you are at home, sit back and relax. Nothing more, nor less 7 out of 10 on my personal scale.
Good action film
dbborroughs20 January 2008
The Big Screen version of the small screen cult favorite is a pretty good thriller. No, its not the best movie in the world but a good way to spend two hours.
The plot concerns a wanted international criminal who offers 100 million to anyone who will spring him. The action is mostly realistic as are the characters. The real complaint is that the captain is too much of an ass and there are one or two bumps that don't ring true, especially at the end but its not anything that will spoil the fun. Best of all there are a couple of really good action sequences.
Recommended, especially on cable
The plot concerns a wanted international criminal who offers 100 million to anyone who will spring him. The action is mostly realistic as are the characters. The real complaint is that the captain is too much of an ass and there are one or two bumps that don't ring true, especially at the end but its not anything that will spoil the fun. Best of all there are a couple of really good action sequences.
Recommended, especially on cable
For action fans
rbverhoef6 December 2004
'S.W.A.T.' is a movie that does nothing more than deliver. It promises nice action scenes and gives us some. They look pretty good, so I guess in that way I can recommend the movie. The story is, of course, about S.W.A.T., a respected part of the LAPD. We follow a team with leader Hondo (Samuel L. Jackson), Jim Street (Colin Farrell), Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez), Deke (rapper LL Cool J), Boxer (Brian Van Holt) and T.J. (Josh Charles). They have to deal with a criminal named Alex Montel (Olivier Martinez) who offers 100 million dollars to the people who will help him escape from jail.
The movie opens with Jim Street and his partner Gamble (Jeremy Renner) saving people from bank robbers, but they do that after disobeying an order. Both are punished but Gamble thinks Street has betrayed him so Gamble leaves the fore while Street gets a job out of action. The movie continues six months later, leaving us with the feeling we will hear more from the Gamble-character. We feel correct. These facts, and may be that Street used to date Boxer's sister, are kind of important to know, although every event serves the action or the one-liners that are not that impressive.
Yes, events are implausible, but not in a way they become annoying. For actions fans the movie does exactly what we expect and what we want, entertaining enough. If you are normally not an action fan, only when it is done very good, I should skip 'S.W.A.T.'!
The movie opens with Jim Street and his partner Gamble (Jeremy Renner) saving people from bank robbers, but they do that after disobeying an order. Both are punished but Gamble thinks Street has betrayed him so Gamble leaves the fore while Street gets a job out of action. The movie continues six months later, leaving us with the feeling we will hear more from the Gamble-character. We feel correct. These facts, and may be that Street used to date Boxer's sister, are kind of important to know, although every event serves the action or the one-liners that are not that impressive.
Yes, events are implausible, but not in a way they become annoying. For actions fans the movie does exactly what we expect and what we want, entertaining enough. If you are normally not an action fan, only when it is done very good, I should skip 'S.W.A.T.'!
Good for what it is but some aspects are really let down by the fact it's aimed at twelve year olds.
johnnyboyz22 April 2007
People may dismiss S.W.A.T. as one of those films that stands there on its own as pure entertainment for the average film going Joe and overall, they'd be right to do so. You don't need me or anyone else to tell you that this film is indeed a bit of light-hearted fun that most people can enjoy but what struck me was that more popular 'fun' films such as Snakes on a Plane and Pirates of the Caribbean didn't do as much for me as S.W.A.T. did and this makes me think that S.W.A.T. is a tad underrated, albeit as a popcorn fest.
The films spends enough time early on hanging around the main character of Jim Street; a disgraced ex-S.W.A.T. member whose partner got them both into a little trouble a few years ago when he made a bit of a botch of a hostage situation. Although Street is played by Colin Farrell whose one of those actors most people have a love/hate relationship with (although it's probably mostly females who fit into the 'love' category) so it's always going to be a little tricky to associate with the fact Farrell is the focus of the film, character wise.
One scrap of 'cred.' the film has is its inclusion of Samuel L. Jackson as the boss of a newly formed S.W.A.T. team following his return to the force although he gets his own way far too easily during the forming of the team, in my opinion. His search takes control after the good opening and what was effective was that genuinely funny humour as well as decent action/chase scenes are both blended in to the search. We're also introduced to the dangers of law enforcement as Michelle Rodriguez's character tells us when she exclaims she was attacked by a guy three times her size and weight wielding several small sharp razor blades.
What makes S.W.A.T. the piece of fun, colloquial film-making it is; is its evidence of light heartedness all the way through. In the UK where I come from, the film was rated as a '12A' which means twelve year olds can see it; as long as there's a parent/guardian with them. The reason for this is its lack of violence and genuine, gritty police action. The chase and action scenes, although impressive, are done in a routine manner with fast talking, joke-style dialogue there to extinguish any threat of profanity or violence for the kids. Also, the music is a cause for concern. I have no idea of the bands nor the songs actually used but it's of that modern day rock/pop stuff that sounds so much like the previous song released in that genre, it's worrying. These songs that pop up at various intervals include montage sequences and the like, keeping the light hearted atmosphere and again, giving the kids something to relate to in the form of music. For me and probably anyone else over the age of 20, it was very disappointing.
The fact the villain of the film is French is awkward enough. I say French but really, he's European and him and his non-American cronies are another disappointing aspect of the film. It's just too typical of an American summer film to do this: including a Eurotrash villain. The fact he actually spends most of the film in custody and has to issue his threats to press camera crews is another thing that detracts from the film. The fact he's in custody and out of harms way as far as violence and challenging the heroes is concerned; means less of a threat to the kids thanks to the 12A tag. With other odd things cropping up such as the fact each gang just happens to try and rescue the baddie at the exact same time with no prior arrangement of a truce as they all strive for the reward money, was a sloppy piece of film-making.
Despite the good things S.W.A.T. has going for it, it never gets out of that, 'family' gear that it gets into and as a result, feels like a re-hash of that 1986 film Top Gun, only with guns and on the ground instead of jets and in the air. Still, at least you get to hear a couple of Jackson nods to his appearances in Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, respectively. That in itself, to some, is more than enough of a reason to give S.W.A.T. a go.
The films spends enough time early on hanging around the main character of Jim Street; a disgraced ex-S.W.A.T. member whose partner got them both into a little trouble a few years ago when he made a bit of a botch of a hostage situation. Although Street is played by Colin Farrell whose one of those actors most people have a love/hate relationship with (although it's probably mostly females who fit into the 'love' category) so it's always going to be a little tricky to associate with the fact Farrell is the focus of the film, character wise.
One scrap of 'cred.' the film has is its inclusion of Samuel L. Jackson as the boss of a newly formed S.W.A.T. team following his return to the force although he gets his own way far too easily during the forming of the team, in my opinion. His search takes control after the good opening and what was effective was that genuinely funny humour as well as decent action/chase scenes are both blended in to the search. We're also introduced to the dangers of law enforcement as Michelle Rodriguez's character tells us when she exclaims she was attacked by a guy three times her size and weight wielding several small sharp razor blades.
What makes S.W.A.T. the piece of fun, colloquial film-making it is; is its evidence of light heartedness all the way through. In the UK where I come from, the film was rated as a '12A' which means twelve year olds can see it; as long as there's a parent/guardian with them. The reason for this is its lack of violence and genuine, gritty police action. The chase and action scenes, although impressive, are done in a routine manner with fast talking, joke-style dialogue there to extinguish any threat of profanity or violence for the kids. Also, the music is a cause for concern. I have no idea of the bands nor the songs actually used but it's of that modern day rock/pop stuff that sounds so much like the previous song released in that genre, it's worrying. These songs that pop up at various intervals include montage sequences and the like, keeping the light hearted atmosphere and again, giving the kids something to relate to in the form of music. For me and probably anyone else over the age of 20, it was very disappointing.
The fact the villain of the film is French is awkward enough. I say French but really, he's European and him and his non-American cronies are another disappointing aspect of the film. It's just too typical of an American summer film to do this: including a Eurotrash villain. The fact he actually spends most of the film in custody and has to issue his threats to press camera crews is another thing that detracts from the film. The fact he's in custody and out of harms way as far as violence and challenging the heroes is concerned; means less of a threat to the kids thanks to the 12A tag. With other odd things cropping up such as the fact each gang just happens to try and rescue the baddie at the exact same time with no prior arrangement of a truce as they all strive for the reward money, was a sloppy piece of film-making.
Despite the good things S.W.A.T. has going for it, it never gets out of that, 'family' gear that it gets into and as a result, feels like a re-hash of that 1986 film Top Gun, only with guns and on the ground instead of jets and in the air. Still, at least you get to hear a couple of Jackson nods to his appearances in Pulp Fiction and Jackie Brown, respectively. That in itself, to some, is more than enough of a reason to give S.W.A.T. a go.
Average action movie - nothing more nothing less
bob the moo1 September 2003
Thrown into a desk job when his partner Gamble disobeys orders and shoots a hostage, Jim Street bides his time waited beside being demeaned on a daily basis. When the commissioner brings in old school SWAT leader hondo to put together a young outfit, Street is offered to chance to retrain with the select team and is soon back on duty. Meanwhile a man is pulled over by a black and white for a broken rear light, but is found to be a drug baron. SWAT are sent to escort the man to a secure prison but, as they take him into a holding centre he announces that whoever breaks him out of jail will get $100 million dollars. SWAT soon have much to content with and must ensure that Montel does not escape.
In a summer crammed with more sequels than ever, I was drawn to go and see SWAT simply because it offered some hope by not being a sequel to a past film (I didn't know at the time it was a TV conversion). Unfortunately, while not lifting it's formula from a predecessor, it essentially lifts itself from many other films and lacks anything that really makes it stand out. The central premise (the `$100 meellion dollar' bit) is interesting but only leads to a big long action scene that acts as the film's second act. Prior to this we are given the usual training stuff which, while not new, is still enjoyable.
It's weakness is that it is suffering from too much testosterone and therefore has to much of the men banging heads with each other and comparing size! The second half is enjoyable as it is just noisy action all the way, but it suffers from being too overblown. A scene where several different street gangs attack a police convoy is an example of this but happily the rest is not as bad as this and is actually quite good. My main complaint was that this second act felt like it should have been the main body of the film and that the training etc was just the introduction. However the second act seemed very short and I came away with the feeling that this was made with a sequel in mind from day one - just like MIB felt like it was made to get to MIIB!
That said it is still fun to watch, albeit unoriginal and clichéd fun. The overblown, all-destroying action probably doesn't do justice to the actual precise and tactical work that SWAT units do and it did make me wonder why someone didn't just take the `$100 meellion dollar' idea and put it in a normal cop film setting but hey-ho.
The cast is really good on paper but hardly make much of a splash in reality. Farrell continues to land on his feet with yet another starring role. His American accent hasn't gotten any better but he is still watchable with his tough guy charisma (would be nice to see him build on this rather than relying on it though). Jackson is slumming it a bit and doesn't really lift the film by his presence. He is no stranger to action movies but he doesn't manage to do much here other than add a face to the mix. Smith (LL Cool J, now starting to use his real name in credits) is OK but again doesn't do much special; I found it amusing that both Jackson and LL had actually made Deep Blue Sea more enjoyable by their performances but neither did it here. Rodriguez is not allowed to show she can act at any point, but she is easy on the eye and is good enough. Martinez's villain is OK but it was never clear where he was from despite the fact he had a French accent - have I missed something, was he a French drug lord? If anything his role marks a sad day for English actors everywhere, from now on it seems that, due to their actions over Iraq, the French will be providing the baddies in American action movies from now on!
Overall this is a reasonably enjoyable piece of noisy entertainment. If you expect anything unique or clever then you will be really disappointed. However if you are prepared for lots of running with guns, noise and macho posturing then this should be enough to satisfy you. For me it didn't stand out from the pack but it was still an OK way to spend a few hours.
In a summer crammed with more sequels than ever, I was drawn to go and see SWAT simply because it offered some hope by not being a sequel to a past film (I didn't know at the time it was a TV conversion). Unfortunately, while not lifting it's formula from a predecessor, it essentially lifts itself from many other films and lacks anything that really makes it stand out. The central premise (the `$100 meellion dollar' bit) is interesting but only leads to a big long action scene that acts as the film's second act. Prior to this we are given the usual training stuff which, while not new, is still enjoyable.
It's weakness is that it is suffering from too much testosterone and therefore has to much of the men banging heads with each other and comparing size! The second half is enjoyable as it is just noisy action all the way, but it suffers from being too overblown. A scene where several different street gangs attack a police convoy is an example of this but happily the rest is not as bad as this and is actually quite good. My main complaint was that this second act felt like it should have been the main body of the film and that the training etc was just the introduction. However the second act seemed very short and I came away with the feeling that this was made with a sequel in mind from day one - just like MIB felt like it was made to get to MIIB!
That said it is still fun to watch, albeit unoriginal and clichéd fun. The overblown, all-destroying action probably doesn't do justice to the actual precise and tactical work that SWAT units do and it did make me wonder why someone didn't just take the `$100 meellion dollar' idea and put it in a normal cop film setting but hey-ho.
The cast is really good on paper but hardly make much of a splash in reality. Farrell continues to land on his feet with yet another starring role. His American accent hasn't gotten any better but he is still watchable with his tough guy charisma (would be nice to see him build on this rather than relying on it though). Jackson is slumming it a bit and doesn't really lift the film by his presence. He is no stranger to action movies but he doesn't manage to do much here other than add a face to the mix. Smith (LL Cool J, now starting to use his real name in credits) is OK but again doesn't do much special; I found it amusing that both Jackson and LL had actually made Deep Blue Sea more enjoyable by their performances but neither did it here. Rodriguez is not allowed to show she can act at any point, but she is easy on the eye and is good enough. Martinez's villain is OK but it was never clear where he was from despite the fact he had a French accent - have I missed something, was he a French drug lord? If anything his role marks a sad day for English actors everywhere, from now on it seems that, due to their actions over Iraq, the French will be providing the baddies in American action movies from now on!
Overall this is a reasonably enjoyable piece of noisy entertainment. If you expect anything unique or clever then you will be really disappointed. However if you are prepared for lots of running with guns, noise and macho posturing then this should be enough to satisfy you. For me it didn't stand out from the pack but it was still an OK way to spend a few hours.
Good action movie, but not enough Michelle Rodriguez.
thefan-29 August 2003
As cop movies go, this one isn't bad at all. It gives some nice background information about the characters without overdoing it, and the plot is satisfying if not awfully surprising. My main quibble is that hottie girl-jock Michelle Rodriguez didn't get enough screen time. It's nice to see she made the SWAT team, though, and we can always hope she'll have a bigger part in the sequels. On the other hand, Colin Farrel, who evidently has a modest following among female moviegoers, gets plenty of screen time. Something for everybody.
On the way to this movie we got stuck in traffic, and for a few minutes it looked as if we might arrive late. My son joked, "Oh, nothing exciting ever happens at the beginning of these movies anyway." As it happens, we got there just as the movie started, and I had to laugh at how appropriate my son's comment was. "SWAT" immediately jumps right into a ferocious action sequence, like a good action movie only in spades. Don't be late.
On the way to this movie we got stuck in traffic, and for a few minutes it looked as if we might arrive late. My son joked, "Oh, nothing exciting ever happens at the beginning of these movies anyway." As it happens, we got there just as the movie started, and I had to laugh at how appropriate my son's comment was. "SWAT" immediately jumps right into a ferocious action sequence, like a good action movie only in spades. Don't be late.
average... unrealistic...
markymark7021 February 2007
Warning: Spoilers
SWAT is an action movie with some reasonable action scenes and lot of posing and running around with huge machine guns. It is not a bad movie per se, but neither is it a good movie either. Farrell does well enough with his role as does Jackson but they both look like they are "acting" the part. I know that is what they are really doing but as an actor they have failed to instill the belief in the audience that they are in fact members of an elite SWAT team. It's not all their fault though as the writers and director don not give them much of a chance to really bring that belief across.
The scenes with Farrell that are not action scenes are quite good - and just as you are being lulled into something more meaningful than a street gunfight - the camera whips away to the next action set-piece. As for the street gunfights ? Jees - I've seen more realistic stuff on the cartoon network. For a SWAT team - these guys don't have any qualms about jumping from a truck and spraying the entire street with sub-machine gun bullets hitting anything in their range. Neither do the bad guys have any problems with standing in the middle of the road - with no cover - alone - blasting at a plethora of cops / SWAT members et al. Certain death just does not come fast enough in this respect.
Take the first scene - an opener to the film to follow. Two bad guys stand in the middle of the street spraying all and sundry with bullets. No cover, they don't even attempt to hide or protect themselves from police return fire. Yet they still manage to peg a few policemen and continue this ridiculous fight for a few minutes before their inevitable deaths arrive. And as for the SWAT team and their police colleagues - they are unable to kill any of these guys without first discharging several thousand bullets.
A kid with a pellet gun would stop one of these guys quicker.
Later in the film a helicopter is shot down by a shooter from roughly a mile away - now the cops should recruit that guy and save themselves a hell of a budget in bullets and body bags.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the film to an extent that it won't last too long in the memory but it was okay to while away a couple of hours being mildly entertained by it all. However, for it's $80M budget - I suspect the makers wanted a bit more impact. The end scene sets up a possibility of a sequel too - but I reckon that will never happen. If it does (and there is scope there to make this more interesting) then a new director and writer is a must.
6/10.
The scenes with Farrell that are not action scenes are quite good - and just as you are being lulled into something more meaningful than a street gunfight - the camera whips away to the next action set-piece. As for the street gunfights ? Jees - I've seen more realistic stuff on the cartoon network. For a SWAT team - these guys don't have any qualms about jumping from a truck and spraying the entire street with sub-machine gun bullets hitting anything in their range. Neither do the bad guys have any problems with standing in the middle of the road - with no cover - alone - blasting at a plethora of cops / SWAT members et al. Certain death just does not come fast enough in this respect.
Take the first scene - an opener to the film to follow. Two bad guys stand in the middle of the street spraying all and sundry with bullets. No cover, they don't even attempt to hide or protect themselves from police return fire. Yet they still manage to peg a few policemen and continue this ridiculous fight for a few minutes before their inevitable deaths arrive. And as for the SWAT team and their police colleagues - they are unable to kill any of these guys without first discharging several thousand bullets.
A kid with a pellet gun would stop one of these guys quicker.
Later in the film a helicopter is shot down by a shooter from roughly a mile away - now the cops should recruit that guy and save themselves a hell of a budget in bullets and body bags.
Nonetheless, I enjoyed the film to an extent that it won't last too long in the memory but it was okay to while away a couple of hours being mildly entertained by it all. However, for it's $80M budget - I suspect the makers wanted a bit more impact. The end scene sets up a possibility of a sequel too - but I reckon that will never happen. If it does (and there is scope there to make this more interesting) then a new director and writer is a must.
6/10.
A walking cliché?
snow0r20 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
It's difficult to review action movies fairly. SWAT was never going to be a classic; this sort of this has been done to death, especially in recent years, and ultimately SWAT struggles to throw in anything new or inventive without looking contrived. See "landing a plane on a bridge" for details.
There's nothing striking about any of the characters which makes it difficult to judge acting; we've seen the clichés before, the team rivalry, the betrayal, the stickler chief, the fat cops, the old pro, etcetera. If anything, perhaps SWAT is guilty of spending too much time on this; we don't really need to know about Colin Farrell's break-up, or see him throw up after a particularly vigorous workout, or Michelle Rodriguez's kids... It just interrupts the action we've been promised from the trailer and unnecessarily extends the viewing time.
The action sequences are SWAT's strongest point. They aren't special, or particularly tense, and I'm not a huge fan of the "jerk the camera everywhere to make the audience feel like they're there" action cameras that helped ruin Resident Evil 2, but that aside, you can't really complain. Things explode, the good guys win...what did you really expect?
When things are blowing up it's alright. Just don't expect too much from a movie that is designed to pass two hours and be forgotten and you'll be just fine.
There's nothing striking about any of the characters which makes it difficult to judge acting; we've seen the clichés before, the team rivalry, the betrayal, the stickler chief, the fat cops, the old pro, etcetera. If anything, perhaps SWAT is guilty of spending too much time on this; we don't really need to know about Colin Farrell's break-up, or see him throw up after a particularly vigorous workout, or Michelle Rodriguez's kids... It just interrupts the action we've been promised from the trailer and unnecessarily extends the viewing time.
The action sequences are SWAT's strongest point. They aren't special, or particularly tense, and I'm not a huge fan of the "jerk the camera everywhere to make the audience feel like they're there" action cameras that helped ruin Resident Evil 2, but that aside, you can't really complain. Things explode, the good guys win...what did you really expect?
When things are blowing up it's alright. Just don't expect too much from a movie that is designed to pass two hours and be forgotten and you'll be just fine.
Another film with a good concept but never delivers
Angelus26 March 2008
Warning: Spoilers
A drug kingpin offers a million dollars to those who rescue him from a maximum prison and so the SWAT must come into action.
The film has a good cast, Samuel.L.Jackson, Colin Farrell, LL Cool J and Michelle Rodriguez.
The film at certain moments will put a smile on your face when Colin Farells characters score better then a stuck up cop and redeems himself, the action is okay but nothing new.
Samuel L Jackson like always sells his character but the film lacks in terms of depth.
But that is the average action movie elements, one would expect from a adrenaline filled flick.
The film has a good cast, Samuel.L.Jackson, Colin Farrell, LL Cool J and Michelle Rodriguez.
The film at certain moments will put a smile on your face when Colin Farells characters score better then a stuck up cop and redeems himself, the action is okay but nothing new.
Samuel L Jackson like always sells his character but the film lacks in terms of depth.
But that is the average action movie elements, one would expect from a adrenaline filled flick.
S.W.A.T. a load of rubbish
The_Void2 October 2005
You cant go into a film like S.W.A.T. with anything resembling high expectations; but you can go in expecting to be entertained - and this film doesn't even deliver on that implied promise. Sure, it has all the explosive action sequences you will have come to expect from this sort of tosh, but because the characters and script are so lame; it takes all the fun out of them. Roughly half of the dialogue in this flick is made up of smart-ass quips delivered in the typical 'cool' aggressive way, and it makes it very hard to take seriously down to the fact that people simply don't talk to each other like this in real life. I realise that this is 'just a film', but being unrealistic makes it hard to connect with. The story is typical of this sort of film, and it sees a rich jailbird offering loads of money to whoever can spring him from jail. It's lucky, then, that S.W.A.T. are on hand to save the day! (groan). The film handles it's plot badly, however, as it takes ages to get into it and most of the early stages of the film are taken up by boring training and recruitment scenes, which are filled out by more rubbish dialogue.
The cast is marginally impressive, with Colin Farrell in the lead, and being supported by LL Cool J, Michelle Rodriguez and Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson is, of course, the standout as he's the best actor on the cast list; but he really needs to start reviewing the material he's going to be working with. There's no doubt that he can carry a bad movie like this; but his talents would be better off elsewhere. Colin Farrell is overrated, annoying and never convinces as the hardman he's trying to portray. The action sequences are thick and fast once they finally kick off, but again it's the dialogue and the characters that spoil it. Adding to that is the predictability of this film and all of it's counterparts. The fact that you know it's going to be a Hollywood style 'happy' ending really spoils the proceedings. Especially when most people will be hoping that our heroes will end up biting the bullet, due to the fact that they're all underwritten, boring and never say anything isn't a quip. On the whole, this film is garbage and I don't recommend it. If you're easy to please or just like films that don't require any input from the viewer, however, you may find something here.
The cast is marginally impressive, with Colin Farrell in the lead, and being supported by LL Cool J, Michelle Rodriguez and Samuel L. Jackson. Jackson is, of course, the standout as he's the best actor on the cast list; but he really needs to start reviewing the material he's going to be working with. There's no doubt that he can carry a bad movie like this; but his talents would be better off elsewhere. Colin Farrell is overrated, annoying and never convinces as the hardman he's trying to portray. The action sequences are thick and fast once they finally kick off, but again it's the dialogue and the characters that spoil it. Adding to that is the predictability of this film and all of it's counterparts. The fact that you know it's going to be a Hollywood style 'happy' ending really spoils the proceedings. Especially when most people will be hoping that our heroes will end up biting the bullet, due to the fact that they're all underwritten, boring and never say anything isn't a quip. On the whole, this film is garbage and I don't recommend it. If you're easy to please or just like films that don't require any input from the viewer, however, you may find something here.
Perfect popcorn movie
dbean6624 January 2011
I seriously had so much fun watching this. Is it clichéd yes? Is it stupid? No. First off, the performances are great. Sam Jackson is still a badass. Colin Farrel is very cool. LL Cool J does a decent job. Also Jeremy Renner was awesome.
The film also worked because it didn't take itself too seriously. it wanted the audience to have a fun time. The action scenes are really fun, the effects are good, the climax is really entertaining. It's not the best action film ever. It's not the best cop movie ever. It's not the best movie ever. Even so, i got what I paid for. A fun popcorn flick. I was never bored. I never checked my watch. I was having too much fun watching this to be worried about anything else. Great entertainment.
The film also worked because it didn't take itself too seriously. it wanted the audience to have a fun time. The action scenes are really fun, the effects are good, the climax is really entertaining. It's not the best action film ever. It's not the best cop movie ever. It's not the best movie ever. Even so, i got what I paid for. A fun popcorn flick. I was never bored. I never checked my watch. I was having too much fun watching this to be worried about anything else. Great entertainment.
Run of the mil action film
Floated223 April 2019
S.W.A.T is as one would expect giving the plot synopsis and overall theme. The film starts off with Jim Street (Colin Farrell) and his partner Gamble (Jeremy Renner) being part of SWAT and on a mission. Gamble ignores a direct order and a hostage is wounded. Gamble is fired from SWAT and Street is sent to cage duty. Six months later Lt. Dan "Hondo" Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson) starts to head SWAT. He puts Street back on along with a few others (the only standout is LL Cool J) and they go into training. Then a vicious French killer (Olivier Martinez) corrupts in L.A. and SWAT may have more than they can handle on their hands.
There isn't nothing that original or special about the film, but it does provide some decent action scenes. The ending finale was also a nice touche as it wasn't completely predictable, and the action does deliver down late. Other than that, SWAT does fulfill for some action fans but don't expect a great story film with much suspense of thrills..
There isn't nothing that original or special about the film, but it does provide some decent action scenes. The ending finale was also a nice touche as it wasn't completely predictable, and the action does deliver down late. Other than that, SWAT does fulfill for some action fans but don't expect a great story film with much suspense of thrills..
Run of the mill, and not exciting at that.
Filmfan-NL8 September 2006
Warning: Spoilers
I expected a straightforward format movie. No extreme expectations, even though Jackson and especially Farrell have a fair track record. Yet it still managed to be really disappointing. Everything about this flick is just not enough to make the viewer shift in his seat. (Well maybe your girlfriend, I've heard Farrell is eye-candy in this one.) The storyline is so utterly predictable, it never requires more than a few braincells to know what's coming next. The acting is tame, bored, everybody just seems to want to go home and have a beer instead. Without this being a spoiler, if I say: eager having-to-prove-themselves-worthy S.W.A.T members, a wary chief, a (former) colleague, turning rogue, wealthy rich absolute stereotype bad guy arrested early on in the movie and you and maybe even your pet hamster easily can join up the dots. All that's left is the action scenes. And yes, you have seen better, a gazillion times at least.
Waste of your time, really. I ticked the spoiler check-mark simply because telling the basic storyline equals spelling out the entire movie. Don't blame me, I'm just the messenger here.
Waste of your time, really. I ticked the spoiler check-mark simply because telling the basic storyline equals spelling out the entire movie. Don't blame me, I'm just the messenger here.
'Die Hard' continues to influence to this day...
WalterFrith1 September 2003
This movie is no doubt influenced by the 'Die Hard' series. In this case, 1990's 'Die Hard 2' where the plot involved a drug dealer. A drug dealer in this case offers 100 million dollars to anyone who can bust him out after he is captured. Naturally, everyone with a greedy agenda, including some people that really make things sticky for the good guys, try to spring him. This film has a nice gradual build to its eventual payoff and Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson are in good form. I only wish that their characters had been a little better developed. It's nice to see a movie where a character has a particular manner, saying or habit that makes their personality instantly recognizable. This is one of the better films to be based on 70's television. Certainly better than the 'Charlie's Angels' films (rubbish).
Just about what you'd expect
preppy-39 August 2003
"S.W.A.T." was a by the numbers TV cop show from the 70s. It only lasted one season and its only claims to fame are that it had a young Robert Urich in its cast and had a really catchy theme song. The movie isn't much better than the show but it's not a total washout.
Jim Street (Colin Farrell) and his partner Gamble (Jeremy Renner) are part of SWAT and on a mission. Gamble ignores a direct order and a hostage is wounded. Gamble is fired from SWAT and Street is sent to cage duty. Six months later Lt. Dan "hondo" Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson) starts to head SWAT. He puts Street back on along with a few others (the only standout is LL Cool J) and they go into training. Then a vicious French killer (horribly played by Olivier Martinez) raises hell in L.A. and SWAT may have more than they can handle on their hands.
As you can see this is, plotwise, an hour-long TV cop show extended to 2 hours. Ever twist and turn was boringly predictable. And we have too loud rock songs played over all the action sequences along with ear-splitting gun shots. Also there's tons of casual violence but no blood and gore (maybe that's how it got by with a PG-13) and a surprising amount of swearing (thank you "NYPD Blue"). Still, the dialogue wasn't half bad; the action sequences were quick, loud and full of energy and everybody gives a good performance (especially Farrell and Jackson).
So, it's nothing new...but you could do worse. Not a film for small kids though.
Jim Street (Colin Farrell) and his partner Gamble (Jeremy Renner) are part of SWAT and on a mission. Gamble ignores a direct order and a hostage is wounded. Gamble is fired from SWAT and Street is sent to cage duty. Six months later Lt. Dan "hondo" Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson) starts to head SWAT. He puts Street back on along with a few others (the only standout is LL Cool J) and they go into training. Then a vicious French killer (horribly played by Olivier Martinez) raises hell in L.A. and SWAT may have more than they can handle on their hands.
As you can see this is, plotwise, an hour-long TV cop show extended to 2 hours. Ever twist and turn was boringly predictable. And we have too loud rock songs played over all the action sequences along with ear-splitting gun shots. Also there's tons of casual violence but no blood and gore (maybe that's how it got by with a PG-13) and a surprising amount of swearing (thank you "NYPD Blue"). Still, the dialogue wasn't half bad; the action sequences were quick, loud and full of energy and everybody gives a good performance (especially Farrell and Jackson).
So, it's nothing new...but you could do worse. Not a film for small kids though.
Good popcorn fun in this big screen rendition of the mid-seventies TV series
ma-cortes10 May 2023
An enjoyable non-stop action film , I enjoyed this movie - very happy with the quality and the premise - reasonably okay with the direction and dialogue . This moving picture follows a locally born and bred S. W. A. T. sergeant and his team of highly-trained men and a woman as they solve crimes in Los Angeles. At the beginning two cops, Officers Jim Street (Colin Farrell) and Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner) foil a bank robbery holdup by shooting a female hostage, the two are kicked out of SWAT . Samuel Jackson as Sgt. Hondo is the new leader of LAPD the special weapons and tactics units , and he has to recruit members . The old School boss cop Hondo thinks second chances are just a-OK. Now Hondo (Samuel L Jackson) joins a brave unit , and the new SWAT team consisting of : Michael Boxer (Brian Van Holt) , T. J. McCabe (Josh Charles) , Deacon 'Deke' Kaye (LL Cool J) , and a female cop, Christina 'Chris' Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez) , they have a hard and big mission: escorting Alex Montel (Olivier Martinez) . He and his boys have to guard captured drug lord and move him into federal custody only . Alex has an open offer of one hundred thousand dollars to anyone who can dfree him . Even cops dial 911 !. You're either S. W. A. T. or you're not !.
Thrilling and nail-biting movie with action-packed , violent struggles , shootouts , kinetic energy , very high body-count and swiftly paced . Inspired by the television series and the feature film, 'S. W. A. T.' stars Samuel L Jackson a locally-born-and-raised S. W. A. T. tasked to run a specialized tactical unit that is the last stop in law enforcement in Los Angeles , along with Colin Farrell as a former Navy SEAL and policeman who's alisted to elite team . Torn between loyalty to where he was raised and allegiance to his brothers in blue , Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson strives to bridge the divide between his two worlds and acclimate to his new duties . The movie in itself is not bad , but decent the acting is pretty good, here's the reason why its getting such bad reviews . The main actors all received S. W. A. T. tactics , fire arms , and live fire training for the film , in fact Colin Farrell was also given L. A. P. D. driver training in the Ford Crown Victoria . The characters are believable and the actors seem suited for their respective roles . I must admit that I watched this movie mainly because of the actors who include the SWAT members : Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell , Michelle Rodriguez , LL Cool J , Josh Charles , Jeremy Renner , Brian Van Holt and other familiar secondaries, such as Olivier Martinez , Reg Cathey , Larry Poindexter , Dennis Ardnt , Lucinda Jenney, E. Roger Mitchell , Jay Acovone , Shannon Sturges and Rod Perry's came as L. L. Cool's father. I never got bored from the beginning to the end , nice action, agreeable story and fine acting. All the actors did their job, someone better than someone else. Reasonable action, one or two twists, satisfactory encore . An acceptable movie when one wants to relax and enjoy actually . Granted it could have been even better - anything can be improved - but it was still an agreeable film which managed to get us to care about some of the roles. Cinematography by cameraman Gabriel Beristain was adequate , as well as thrilling musical score by Elliot Goldenthal and decently made by director Clark Johnson who choreographies very well the crossfire and fights scenes and that's way I'm happy enough to give it a rating 6/10 . I really enjoyed it!
Other films and series about this special team are the following ones : ¨SWAT firefight¨ (2011) with Gabriel Macht , Robert Patrick , Carly Pope, Giancarlo Esposito, Kristanna Loken , Matt Bushell.¨S. W. A. T.: Under Siege¨ (2017) with Sam Jaeger , Adrianne Palicki, Michael Jai White , Ty Olsson . And TV series : ¨SWAT (1975-1976)¨, (37 episodes) , created by Robert Hammer , developed by Rick Husky with Steve Forrest as Lieutenant Dan 'Hondo' Harrelson , Robert Urich , Rod Perry , Mark Shera . ¨SWAT¨ (2017-2023) , 127 episodes with Shemar Moore as Sergeant Daniel 'Hondo' Harrelson , Alex Russell , Kenny Johnson, David Lim , Patrick St. Esprit.
Thrilling and nail-biting movie with action-packed , violent struggles , shootouts , kinetic energy , very high body-count and swiftly paced . Inspired by the television series and the feature film, 'S. W. A. T.' stars Samuel L Jackson a locally-born-and-raised S. W. A. T. tasked to run a specialized tactical unit that is the last stop in law enforcement in Los Angeles , along with Colin Farrell as a former Navy SEAL and policeman who's alisted to elite team . Torn between loyalty to where he was raised and allegiance to his brothers in blue , Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson strives to bridge the divide between his two worlds and acclimate to his new duties . The movie in itself is not bad , but decent the acting is pretty good, here's the reason why its getting such bad reviews . The main actors all received S. W. A. T. tactics , fire arms , and live fire training for the film , in fact Colin Farrell was also given L. A. P. D. driver training in the Ford Crown Victoria . The characters are believable and the actors seem suited for their respective roles . I must admit that I watched this movie mainly because of the actors who include the SWAT members : Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell , Michelle Rodriguez , LL Cool J , Josh Charles , Jeremy Renner , Brian Van Holt and other familiar secondaries, such as Olivier Martinez , Reg Cathey , Larry Poindexter , Dennis Ardnt , Lucinda Jenney, E. Roger Mitchell , Jay Acovone , Shannon Sturges and Rod Perry's came as L. L. Cool's father. I never got bored from the beginning to the end , nice action, agreeable story and fine acting. All the actors did their job, someone better than someone else. Reasonable action, one or two twists, satisfactory encore . An acceptable movie when one wants to relax and enjoy actually . Granted it could have been even better - anything can be improved - but it was still an agreeable film which managed to get us to care about some of the roles. Cinematography by cameraman Gabriel Beristain was adequate , as well as thrilling musical score by Elliot Goldenthal and decently made by director Clark Johnson who choreographies very well the crossfire and fights scenes and that's way I'm happy enough to give it a rating 6/10 . I really enjoyed it!
Other films and series about this special team are the following ones : ¨SWAT firefight¨ (2011) with Gabriel Macht , Robert Patrick , Carly Pope, Giancarlo Esposito, Kristanna Loken , Matt Bushell.¨S. W. A. T.: Under Siege¨ (2017) with Sam Jaeger , Adrianne Palicki, Michael Jai White , Ty Olsson . And TV series : ¨SWAT (1975-1976)¨, (37 episodes) , created by Robert Hammer , developed by Rick Husky with Steve Forrest as Lieutenant Dan 'Hondo' Harrelson , Robert Urich , Rod Perry , Mark Shera . ¨SWAT¨ (2017-2023) , 127 episodes with Shemar Moore as Sergeant Daniel 'Hondo' Harrelson , Alex Russell , Kenny Johnson, David Lim , Patrick St. Esprit.
A special place for this one
swapnil-talpade3 January 2022
This movie came out when we were collegians on a budget craving for a good action flick so that we could sneak out of our classes and ride mighty into the theatre to enjoy a movie.
This one did the job. Great action and good acting. Remember, it's a popcorn flick so don't go expecting a brainy action thriller.
A definite watch!
This one did the job. Great action and good acting. Remember, it's a popcorn flick so don't go expecting a brainy action thriller.
A definite watch!
absolutely cheesy....
faithless473417 January 2021
Complete and utter cheesy movie full of cliché and machismo....I mean it even has the horrible 'hero come to save the day' music during the credits...the soundtrack is full of decent to really good music and for an action movie this is a good old fashion police are the good guys type film...I enjoyed watching this and you will also...lots of great stars before they were famous...lots of good stars that were famous at the time and still are....
only watched the opening scene and then turned it off
decker197612 March 2021
Im not sure if it gets better after the first 10 minutes but i thought that opening scene was so dumb. they had the robbers on the phone and surrounded, no one was in danger until swat got there and shot that lady. they were supposed to seem heroic i guess but they were just acting dumb if i were that lady id sue the police department as well.
An '80s movie 15 years later
dacosta12325 October 2020
Far-fetched and inaccurate portrayal of SWAT in LA
salmon621 December 2012
This story is so far out that it overshadows the acting of Sam Jackson. People, as much as the producers brag about technical accuracy and how the cast "trained with actual SWAT officers", the terribly written screenplay asks anyone over 11 to make a huge leap of faith to believe the plot.
Things like this don't happen! And Police Departments like this don't behave this way! We see several scenes of the tightly-knit , newly formed five -person team working hard, then partying off-duty, then apparently driving home to sleep it off and await another day. The stereotyping is very bad.
Example? An international terrorist financier makes a plea for help in escaping and within 2 hours several diverse gang groups devise highly-technical rescue strategies and attempts bringing the LAPD to its knees! These gang homies apparently have the ability to hire people to pose as City workers, homeless people, and others to devise their rescue plans against large protection entourages with complex counter-surveillance routing through the streets of Los Angeles.
So, a five-person SWAT team is given complete autonomy to conduct transportation, rescue, and investigation of said terrorist, while Federal authorities, the people traditionally tasked with such incredible operations, show up in the very end to observe!
Hundreds of people are hurt in a several seemingly mass casualty shootings and car wrecks, yet very few actually die despite carnage from the streets of Baghdad! A rescue of the terrorist is attempted by one of the SWAT team members who apparently believes that he can orchestrate a rescue and fly the terrorist out of the country, and that the terrorist will pay him millions of dollars. A chase involving the LA Metro system and a sewer chase stretch even a little -leaguer's capacity to believe.
Add to that the macho, phony images, and "Jerry Bruckheimer-style" back stories for the cast, and well, SWAT goes waaaaay over the top!
Things like this don't happen! And Police Departments like this don't behave this way! We see several scenes of the tightly-knit , newly formed five -person team working hard, then partying off-duty, then apparently driving home to sleep it off and await another day. The stereotyping is very bad.
Example? An international terrorist financier makes a plea for help in escaping and within 2 hours several diverse gang groups devise highly-technical rescue strategies and attempts bringing the LAPD to its knees! These gang homies apparently have the ability to hire people to pose as City workers, homeless people, and others to devise their rescue plans against large protection entourages with complex counter-surveillance routing through the streets of Los Angeles.
So, a five-person SWAT team is given complete autonomy to conduct transportation, rescue, and investigation of said terrorist, while Federal authorities, the people traditionally tasked with such incredible operations, show up in the very end to observe!
Hundreds of people are hurt in a several seemingly mass casualty shootings and car wrecks, yet very few actually die despite carnage from the streets of Baghdad! A rescue of the terrorist is attempted by one of the SWAT team members who apparently believes that he can orchestrate a rescue and fly the terrorist out of the country, and that the terrorist will pay him millions of dollars. A chase involving the LA Metro system and a sewer chase stretch even a little -leaguer's capacity to believe.
Add to that the macho, phony images, and "Jerry Bruckheimer-style" back stories for the cast, and well, SWAT goes waaaaay over the top!
A Great Film
PutTheGlassesOn15 April 2009
Warning: Spoilers
This is simply put, a tremendous film, and one that I think is for the history books, no doubt. Though, there was some doubt in believability, I still think that you couldn't have gotten a better performance from a cast like this.
And at that time, when this came out, it really seemed like there wasn't much to compete against it. Meaning, it seems like this film energized the movie scene at that time. In my opinion, it was the film of the year.
It definitely captured the reality of what real S.W.A.T crews do and I give the director and the screenwriter a lot of credit for presenting such a realistic view of this amazing line of work.
And at that time, when this came out, it really seemed like there wasn't much to compete against it. Meaning, it seems like this film energized the movie scene at that time. In my opinion, it was the film of the year.
It definitely captured the reality of what real S.W.A.T crews do and I give the director and the screenwriter a lot of credit for presenting such a realistic view of this amazing line of work.
Not that bad
starringdash18 July 2006
You just have to ignore the attempts at being super cool with lines like "SWAT is the world's best blah blah blah" and the half assed acting and just get to the action scenes which are fairly realistic and well executed. There are plenty of new and good ideas which have been pretty well executed. This movie is actually better than what it looks like in the trailers and is without doubt one of the producer's better films after a long line of "super cool" and "extreme action" crap. Fairly good entertainment value but don't go expecting anything outstanding. It may sometimes irritate you with its extreme action approach.
HAHAHAHAHA
Constantinople22 August 2003
I'm not sure if this movie is intentionally one big joke, but I found it absolutely hilarious. It sports some of the worst writing I have ever seen. The whole thing is laughable, even the french bad guys are played by Italian mobsters!
"I've done a few stewardesses." "Just a few."
Some guy points a gun at Olivier Martinez's character's head. "What are you gonna do, shoot me?"
Even the acting is bad, which is surprising, since Samuel L. Jackson and Collin Farrel are usually pretty good. But none of them have any on-screen chemistry, which takes away from an already-bad movie.
Okay. This movie is either police-movie bile or satirical genius. I am not sure. But I'm pretty sure it's the former.
1/10
"I've done a few stewardesses." "Just a few."
Some guy points a gun at Olivier Martinez's character's head. "What are you gonna do, shoot me?"
Even the acting is bad, which is surprising, since Samuel L. Jackson and Collin Farrel are usually pretty good. But none of them have any on-screen chemistry, which takes away from an already-bad movie.
Okay. This movie is either police-movie bile or satirical genius. I am not sure. But I'm pretty sure it's the former.
1/10
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
