S.W.A.T. | | Cast : | Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J, Olivier Martinez | | Director : | Clark Johnson | | Studio : | Columbia Tri-Star | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen, Dolby | | Released Date : | August 08, 2003 | | DVD Released Date : | April 19, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed), French (Dubbed), French (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), English (Original Language), French (Original Language) | | Audience Rating : | PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | July 06, 2005 | | Summary | serviceable cop film | Content
 | Loosely based on the TV series of the same name, "S.W.A.T." is an entertaining, if essentially formulaic, police procedural set on the ribboned thoroughfares and sizzling pavements of metropolitan Los Angeles. Samuel L. Jackson plays an LAPD veteran called back to the force to handpick and train a crack SWAT team made up of promising neophyte recruits. Colin Farrell, LL Cool J and Michelle Rodriguez are the actors who make up part of that team.
The creators of "S.W.A.T." have done a pretty decent job given the limitations of the genre. It's true that the plot is standard issue stuff for the most part and the characters have little opportunity to distinguish themselves and develop. However, the dialogue is frequently crackling and the performers go through the motions with seriousness and conviction. The action scenes are also well handled, even if they do go a bit overboard from time to time, a problem endemic to virtually all action films these days, not just this one.
Chances are you probably won't remember a thing about "S.W.A.T." much past its closing credits, but it's a fun enough ride while you`re watching it.
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| Rating | | | Date | June 19, 2005 | | Summary | lacked some heart | Content
| This was a good action flick but I felt that there was nobody encouraging eachother on the SWAT team or anybody doing anything or saying anything with heart. The film was one of the best action films out there though and I did like the scene where the young swat memebers are training to be on the team. The end of the movie is pretty cool and Samuel L. Jackson played a great leader for the SWAT team just like he was a great coach on Coach Carter. When guns or bombs go off the sourround sound is exhilirating. The commentary was dissapointing though. Buy it if you like action flicks. God bless you and America. |
| Rating | | | Date | June 11, 2005 | | Summary | Efficient but mechanical thriller | Content
| When the mean streets of Los Angeles start spiralling out of control the response from City Hall is to start a new crack SWAT team headed by Dan " Hondo " Harrelson -played ably by Samuel L Jackson ,despite his being almost visibly on auto-pilot ,so few are thr dramatic demamds of the role .He recruits disgraced former SWAT man Jim Street ( Colin Farrell) and the rest of his team are the politically correct mix of Latino woman ( the always excellent Michelle Rodriguez),black male (L L Cool j ) and another white male officer (Jeremy Renner).This is not merely P.C but an obvious play for the widest possible ethnic appeal to the movie .Indeed ,this is a very calculating and calculated picture -the villain is French ,thus playing to the US dislike of that nation ( a perfectly sensible dislike in my view ;I dont trust them further than i can throw 'em )
The baddie is duly capyured but the fun really starts when he offers $ 100 million to anyone who can bust him out of jail .This is the cue for all hell to break loose -bullets fly ,helicopters explode and cars are driven pell mell on the way to a climax of carnage and blood.
The actors all do well even allowing for the miniscule acting demands made upon them but I suspect the ability to look good in combat gear was the prime requirement for their getting the job .The action scenes are staged well and other than a slight saggging in the mid point of the movie this does at least hold the interest
One for those who like heavy metal on the soundtrack ,lots of loud bangs and fast cutting .Subtle it ain't but its okay mindles popcorn movie making and does pass the time in an adequate manner |
| Rating | | | Date | March 05, 2005 | | Summary | Dumb and not entertainingly dumb either | Content
| Ugh! SWAT is a miserable film. I remember when I was a kid and I'd play at Cops and Robbers with other kids. We'd run around with invisible guns indiscriminately shooting at each other. SWAT has that same mentality and is aimed at the same age group. It's not a movie, it's shamefully disguised pro-NRA propaganda. For all the gun glorification and random violence (PG-13 rated violence remember, as they want to expose this drivel to the little kiddies) there is not one subtle moment that tells us guns are dangerous. Here they are just toys and shooting people is just fun.
I shouldn't really complain so hard as for the first whole hour of this film NOTHING happens. It's all devoted to pointless character building which never rises past cliched stereotypes (Michelle Rodriguez expands her range by playing an unhappy, scowling Latino-something she hasn't played before) and is totally ditched with the abrupt, anti-climatic ending.
SWAT promises action and the not-quite high concept plot of a crime-lord offering anyone who can break him out of custody a $100 million reward is never fully realised. We could have had 2 whole hours of excitement but we barely get 45 minutes. It's a slow, boring film with absolutely NOTHING to recommend it. Plus it all seems very 70's. I felt embarressed watching it.
The DVD is in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen with Dolby 5.1 sound. There are extras but do I care? |
| Rating | | | Date | February 24, 2005 | | Summary | (Insert Sound Effects and Explosion Here) | Content
| Boom! Crash! Bang! Boom! Rat-a-tat-a-tat! There - I've just summed up S.W.A.T. for you. Starring Samuel L. Jackson (the second coolest black man in Hollywood) and Naughty Boy of The Moment, Colin Farrell, this run of the mill police shoot 'em up is average. And by average I mean that when something is supposed to go boom, it does. There's little to no ingenuity, little to no originality, heck, they even brought the catchy S.W.A.T. theme back (updated of course). The good guys are cool, the bad guys are bad, and that's about the size of it. The one thing that really bothered me was seeing the wonderful Michelle Rodriguez co-starring as the stereotypical Tough Latina Girl (tm). After a wonderful screen debut in "Girlfight" (go rent it now!), she has yet to star in anything resembling good since then. "Resident Evil", "The Fast and the Furious", "Blue Crush". In every single one, she's Tough Latina Girl, and that's just a shame. It was also a treat to see Jeremy Renner as the S.W.A.T. cop gone bad, as I'd seen him audition and get the role in Bravo TV's "The IT Factor" a year earlier. So the bottom line is - if you're looking for a good film, then try elsewhere. If you're looking for something to stare at on your television screen for an hour or two, without any danger of thought or emotion, then S.W.A.T. will do just fine, but if you like your police work with character and emotion, go rent "Homicide" directed by David Mamet. |
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