Review: S.W.A.T. (2003)
Harvey S. Karten
Reviewed by: Harvey S. Karten
Grade: B-
Columbia Pictures
Directed by: Clark Johnson
Written by: David Ayer, David McKenna, story by Ron Mita &
Jim McClain
Cast: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Jeremy Renner,
Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J. Olivier Martinez
Screened at: AMC, NYC, 8/4/03
New York busses are now advertising The History Channel,
stating "Even astronauts have heroes," a tag line that one
suspects could have been copied from the catchy one for Clark
Johnson's new movie "S.W.A.T." "Even cops dial 911." Cute.
Long before the conclusion of the action-adventure pic based on
a not-so-well-regarded 1970's TV series, we can see why the
typical out-of-shape police officer at least here in New York
City is no match for this elite force. In L.A., particularly in
hostage situations, the cop on the beat simply does not have the
training that these guys have (I use the term "guys" because to
date there are no women on the force of Strategic Weapons
and Tactics, the most prestigious division in the L.A.P.D). Yet
another conclusion, not so sanguine about the movie, is that it
comes across as a moving recruitment poster for S.W.A.T.
showing off its macho members, carefully chosen, each with a
different specialty, each weighed down with thirty pounds of
armor and whatever weapon he specializes in. In that regard,
we can compare this effort to Philip Kaufman's 1983 film "The
Right Stuff," a flag-waving look at the birth of America's space
program and the first astronauts all designed by Tom Wolfe's
book to bring out the colors.
Opening with a robbery by black-hooded men who carry
automatic weapons and mean business, "S.W.A.T." makes a
questionable hero out of handsome officer Jim Street (Colin
Farrell), who accidentally shoots a hostage--getting him into hot
water with the captain for defying an order to stand down.
When Lt. Dan "Hondo" Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson) insists
that not only Street be on his S.W.A.T. team of six and even
recruits a woman, Chris Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez), the
stage is set for a cat-and-mouse game between the six and a
newly-captured international bandit, Alex (Olivier Martinez), who
is wanted in ten countries for drug selling and arms smuggling.
As Alex is scheduled to be taken from the local jail to a federal
prison, he offers $100 million to anyone who can spring him out,
an offer which a few corrupt cops and a number of others could
not resist. (How exactly Alex can be trusted to pay off and
where his benefactor could go to find safety from an inevitable,
international manhunt is another question, but action-adventure
pictures ask us to suspend disbelief).
Olivier Martinez is the best thing about the pic, performing in
the role of a ruthless outlaw who is well groomed, speaks good
English with a French accent, and is called a Frog three times
by those who are chasing him. Martinez, acting as Diane
Lane's lover in "Unfaithful" is known for work in art-house fare
like "Before Night Falls" and "The Chambermaid on the Titanic,"
but does well here, showing himself to be anything but a small-
time hoodlum. Others in the cast do workmanlike acting, with
Michelle Rodriguez, who got notice from Hollywood for her role
in "Girlfight," flashing her usual don't-mess-with-me scowl
throughout (except for showing herself to be one of the guys by
roaring with laughter during her S.W.A.T. team party).
While "S.W.A.T." is calculated to get the adrenalin pumping,
an almost non-stop string of episodes filmed in seventy-five L.A.
locations, there's nothing here that we have not already seen.
Give it credit, though, for cluing in us in the audience who would
never get a chance to take a look at the Marine-line training
camps that put the recruits through their paces.
While we realize that the three divisions of national
service The Army, the Navy and the Marine Corps frequently
compete with one another, we may not have understood how
much backbiting exists within one large city's S.W.A.T. team.
The captain has issues with the guys who defied his order
during the bank robbery and, like Yasser Arafat hoping that his
prime minister will fail, is determined to humiliate the guys who
went over the top and force them out of the division, or even out
of the force altogether. The brother of Jim Street's 28-year-old
girl friend, a fellow on the team, razzes Street regularly, blaming
him for the young woman's desertion. Gamble hates Street the
most, believing that Street sold him out in order to stay on the
force. The moments of psychological tension in some cases
outweigh the traditional car chases, explosions, and chopper
escapades making "S.W.A.T." worthwhile summer
entertainment.
Rated PG-13. 116 minutes.(c) 2003 by Harvey Karten at
Harvey...@cs.com
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Laura Clifford
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Special Weapons and Tactics officer Jim Street (Colin Farrell, "Daredevil")
helps his partner Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner, "Dahmer") save a hostage during
an armed bank robbery, but Brian gambled, ignoring a 'hold' order for heroics.
The hostage (Heather Charles) sues the city for being clipped with Gamble's
bullet and Captain Tom Fuller (Larry Poindexter, "Judgement Day") is outraged
by his team's behavior. Gamble quits in disgust, furious that his partner also
questions his behavior. Street accepts a demotion to the gun cage, cleaning
boots and weapons with Gus (James DuMont, "Seabiscuit"), waiting for a change
to rejoin "S.W.A.T."
Adapted from the 1975 television series by David Ayer ("Dark Blue," "Training
Day") and David McKenna ("Blow") and directed by television cop show vet Clark
Johnson (HBO's "The Wire," TV's "The West Wing," "NYPD Blue"), "S.W.A.T." is a
fast paced action flick with an interesting hook - its villain, murdering, drug
running, arms dealer Alex Montel (Olivier Martinez, "Unfaithful") inspires more
villains to come out of the woodwork with his offer of 100 meeeeelion dollars
to free him from LAPD custody.
This happens at a crucial time for the LAPD, which has just rerecruited some of
its old school officers to bring back some of its luster. Lt. Dan 'Hondo'
Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson, "Changing Lanes") is one such and Street's banter
and cocky attitude in the gun cage catches his attention. Tagging Street as
his 'driver,' Hondo assembles his team. Boxer (Brian Van Holt, "Basic") and
T.J. (Josh Charles, "Muppets From Space") are already S.W.A.T., having
previously worked with Street, so Hondo needs to find three new guys to
complete his team. David 'Deke' Kay (LL Cool J, "Deliver Us From Eva") is a
beat cop from South Central. Hondo's shocked to find that his next choice,
Chris Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez, "Blue Crush"), is a woman given her tough
reputation, but her smaller size will come in handy. Lastly, of course, is
Street who Hondo has to fight Fuller for - if the team fails, he and Street are
off the force.
With the deck stacked against them, the team has to bond in training. Boxer
resents Street because of Street's recently broken relationship with his sister
and Hot shot T.J. lost a marksman competition to him. Sanchez has the usual
macho wall to scale. Still, with a mixture of work, humor and a little TV theme
music humming, the gang passes their strenuous S.W.A.T. test. After one
humorous job utilizing Street's 'Polish penetrator' invention (it tears down a
wall of a booby-trapped home), the group is pitted against Montel.
Ayer and McKenna modernize the old TV show by making these heroes fallible. In
a post Rodney King L.A., Dirty Harry tactics are dicier than ever (Captain
Fuller tells Gamble 'Sometimes doing the right thing isn't doing the right
thing.'). Redemption doesn't come to all, though, and the screenwriters give
several early warning signs of whom to keep an eye on. Plenty of humor is
injected through both over the top dialogue ('Let's get this frog in the bird')
and situations (the team commandeers a prom limo). Street is the relationship
lynchpin with his fallen angel partner and new mentor/boss. He's left in the
lurch romantically, reconciliation with Boxer's sister kept open while single
mom Sanchez looms as a possibility (this also sets up things nicely for a
continuation to the series). The ensemble cast works well together led by pro
Jackson and hot commodity Farrell. Rodriguez is loosening up nicely and
Renner, so good in the little seen "Dahmer," holds his own with his higher
profile castmates.
Clarkson shows no strain orchestrating complex action sequences on the big
screen, and, admirably, has attempted to keep stunts within the realm of
possibility - even the climatic Lear jet landing on L.A.'s 6th Street Bridge is
presumably doable (CGI was used for the film, though). Cinematographer Gabriel
Beristain ("Blade II") keeps the package looking slick and Elliot Goldenthal's
("The Good Thief") score helps propel the action with just the right amount of
"S.W.A.T." theme riffs.
"S.W.A.T." strikes a nice balance of old and new that could make for a
profitable franchise as long as it keeps its tactics special and its weapons in
the hands of characters we care about.
B
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Frankie Paiva
2003 - USA
Director: Clark Johnson
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Olivier Martinez, LL Cool J, and
Michelle Rodriguez
Reviewed by Frankie Paiva
S.W.A.T. should be a lot of fun, but it isn't. In a continued summer of
disappointments, this new action film provides little new or exciting for weary
audiences this late into the summer season. By now we've seen it all: Mutants,
robots, angels, and Hulks alike all fighting for supremacy. S.W.A.T. continues
this action numbing effect. There's simply nothing to care about in the movie.
You'll forget it before it's over.
Based on an ill-remembered 70s TV show, S.W.A.T. follows Lt. Dan "Hondo"
Harrison (Samuel L. Jackson), an old warhorse of the real police days, as he
assembles a top notch new team for the most respected police division in Los
Angeles. His team members include a tough single mother (Michelle Rodriguez), a
handsome South Central cop (LL Cool J), and a cocky ex-S.W.A.T. officer with a
questionable record (Colin Farrell). The team must prevent a wealthy European
drug trafficker (Olivier Martinez) from escaping custody.
Despite its range of characters, the film is surprisingly devoid of life,
especially in the second half. The most disappointing thing about S.W.A.T. is
that it actually begins as a very promising film, showing the rigorous training
that each team member undergoes on their path to the top. The training scenes
carry an urgency and excitement that's missing throughout the rest of the film,
which turns into a planes, trains, and automobiles chase of sorts. That
director Clark Johnson creates more tension in scenes that we as an audience
know are training drills for the team, rather than the actual execution of said
training, just shows his ineptitude at staging exciting and explosive
material.
Couple that with the fact that only LL Cool J and Olivier Martinez seem to be
having fun, and you've got yourself a pretty dull film. The first half of the
movie lets the audience get to know the team as people, while the second hour
completely abandons any individuality among the members. The humor is also gone
at the halfway mark. Exactly one funny thing happens for the last hour of the
movie, and it's a gigantic relief.
The actors play their usual roles. Colin Farrell looks to be acting through a
hangover, Samuel L. Jackson is the wise and cocky mentor, and Michelle
Rodriguez is the punching and kicking bad girl. All three actors have proven
themselves better than their usual character types in this material. Too bad
they didn't get out in time.
The first hour of S.W.A.T. is thoroughly enjoyable, just leave in the middle so
you won't be disappointed by the lame second hour that follows.
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JoBlo
RATING: 5/10
http://www.joblo.com/swat.htm
For more reviews and movie wallpapers, visit http://www.joblo.com/
PLOT:
An up and coming member of the Special Weapons and Tactics (S.W.A.T.) team is
forced to take on a menial job when one of his teammates messes up and he goes
down with him. Working hard and looking pretty, the up-and-comer gets another
shot at SWAT when an "old school" commander returns to the force and is asked
to round up a new team for his unit. The chasing of a frog...ensues.
CRITIQUE:
A great poster, a great tagline and a great theme song do not a great movie
make. I scored this film a little lower than some of the other "generic summer
action" flicks like 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS and BAD BOYS 2 because you pretty much
knew exactly what to expect with those movies and that's exactly what you got.
With S.W.A.T., there was an opportunity to make something really cool,
something unique, something that stood out from the summer pack of sequels and
something that could energize throughout. Unfortunately, this film starts off
on a half-decent foot, generates some interest in the lead character and nice
chemistry between he and his immediate supervisor (one bad motherf*cker), but
ultimately downshifts into a very generic action/chase movie with very little
in terms of creativity, very little to amaze or overwhelm, and basically...a
whole lotta swatting...for nothing. Most of this film is centered around the
recruitment/training aspect of these guys, which to me, was actually the most
involving part. You would think that this buildup would eventually lead to a
mucho cool real-life adventure (unlike the phony-baloney plane test sequence
which had zero tension whatsoever), but once the bad guy got loose and the
chase began, I got bored fairly quickly and didn't see much on the screen to
pull me in. Colin Farrell's character, specifically, is developed to a certain
extent during the film's first half, but essentially blends into his team
during the second half, and ultimately goes mano-a-mano in one of the more
basic fights that I've seen on-screen in quite some time (yes, it actually
takes place in a train yard). The rest of the characters are also quite
one-dimensional, which is surely why the casting folks hired actors best known
for a certain "type" of character: LL Cool J returns as the cool-ass,
wise-cracking buff dude with the six pack, Michelle Rodriguez is the
tough-as-nails chick with the bad attitude, Olivier Martinez is the
great-looking French guy and Sam Jackson plays the man who keeps everyone else,
in check.
Toss a couple of standard white guys in there as collateral (one with mustache,
one sans) and you've got yourself a full-blown SWAT team ready to kick ass and
plug up any plot holes that might appear throughout. Consider how an entire
city can't seem to keep track of one goddamn car, despite helicopters flying
overhead or how an international baddie can get into the States and sit in a
jail cell for several days before anyone even picks up on who he is. Huh?!? The
chief of the SWAT team also plays the ultimate of assholes, a man who seemingly
wants nothing more out of life but to see his team fail, and fail miserably at
that. Huh?!? The film also lacks in surprises with pretty much every single
step telegraphed a mile away (including the supposed "rat" that is obvious to
everyone early on) and too much time spent on the baddie and the build-up to
his escape (we've seen the goddamn commercials and know what's going to
happen...get on with it already!) All that to say that this certainly isn't a
"bad" movie per se, but not a good one either...just something in between. It's
the kind of movie that you'll likely forget all about three seconds after you
walk out of the theater and appreciate more on video. In fact, looking back...I
can't think of a single moment that stood out for me, other than Martinez's
orange jumpsuit and his over-the-top "$100 milleeyon dollarsss!!" shout-out to
all the "eses" in Hollywood. Props to both Farrell and Jackson though. If it
wasn't for them, I likely would not have been as entertained by the film's
first half either. They upped the ante with their characters, their interaction
and their respective screen presence. The film also had a nice pace to it, as
well as a loud soundtrack, but it was almost like someone else took over in the
second half, and humdrum action ensued. PS: If you're looking for a "Best
Relationship for the Sake of Having a Relationship in a Movie" nomination, look
no further than the pathetically underdeveloped cha-cha between Farrell and his
babe here. Wow...why even include that shite?
Where's JoBlo coming from?
Bad Boys 2 (6/10) - Basic (5/10) - Dark Blue (5/10) - Enemy of the State (7/10)
- The Italian Job (6/10) - Narc (8/10) - The Recruit (6/10) - Ronin (8/10) -
Shaft (7/10) - Training Day (7/10)
Review Date: August 6, 2003
Director: Clark Johnson
Writers: David Ayer, David McKenna
Producers: Neal H. Moritz, Chris Lee, Dan Halsted
Actors: Colin Farrell as Jim Street
Samuel L. Jackson as Lt. Hondo
Olivier Martinez as Alex Montel
Genre: Action
Year of Release: 2003
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(c) 2003 Berge Garabedian
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