No need to call in the S.W.A.T.


Aug. 14, 2003, midnight | By Isamu Bae | 20 years, 8 months ago


You know those television cop shows, the ones with the police chases? You know how they never really have much of a plot? Well, in a similar vein comes S.W.A.T., two hours of action that follows a patched together team through its first major mission.

The movie starts out with a dramatic armed hostage situation where the Los Angeles Police Department S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons and Tactics) team is called. The action focuses on the team dropped by helicopter onto the roof of the building, led by Officer Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner). The story has already begun, whether it seems like it or not. Sergent Dan "Hondo" Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson) is brought back under Captain Thomas Fuller's (Larry Poindexter) command to boost the reputation of the L.A.P.D. and is told to assemble a new S.W.A.T. team. Bringing together Jim Street (Colin Farrell), a former S.W.A.T. officer and former teammate of Gamble, TJ McCabe (Josh Charles), Michael Boxer (Brian van Holt), Deacon "Deke" Kaye (LL Cool J), and Chris Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez), Hondo begins molding the five into a S.W.A.T. team.

In the meantime Alex Montel (Olivier Martinez), an internationally wanted criminal for drug and arms trade, bumbles into the hands of unsuspecting police officers. When they realize that they have Alex Montel in their custody, it is almost too late - rescue attempts have already begun. Amidst this, Hondo's S.W.A.T. team is given the crucial task of escorting Montel to prison, initiating a chain of incredible action scenes.

Amazingly enough, the characters are all believable, as the movie shows viewers some background information on each member. The relatively low amount of dialog carries a sense of realism and again shows viewers the personalities of the characters (one character doesn't say a single word for a large amount of time, despite his presence, for example). And for a change of pace, the movie switches into "camera mode" in multiple scenes, as if the incident was being viewed through the television.

Clocking in at 118 minutes, S.W.A.T. is filled with unexpected plot twists (a welcome change from the much-too-predictable movies everywhere) and plenty of stunning action scenes.

S.W.A.T. 118 minutes is rated PG13 for violence, language, and sexual references



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Isamu Bae. Isamu Bae (AKA Izzy) is a senior and finally put up his staff bio. He's 17 and has no idea what he's supposed to put here, so this is all some filler material. He writes, draws, reads, plays games, practices martial arts (for lack of … More »

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