There have been hundreds of police movies created over the years, and every so often, one film surpasses the others in numerous aspects. Most recently, that film is S.W.A.T.
Based on the 1970s television show, S.W.A.T. has a solid plotline, realistic special effects and a tremendous cast.
The Los Angeles S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons and Tactics) team is a prestigious branch of the force many can only hope to join. Jim Street (Colin Farrell) and Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner) are S.W.A.T. partners until Gamble's breach of orders leads to a hostage injury. Street must suffer the consequences of Gamble's actions and ultimately is reduced to weapons maintenance, while Gamble abandons the force completely.
Street returns to S.W.A.T. when veteran Commander "Hondo" Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson) is assigned to recruit a new S.W.A.T. team. To spite his chief, Harrelson chooses his team from former S.W.A.T. rejects, including Chris Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez), who tried out numerous times. Along with Street and Sanchez, Harrelson recruits and trains T.J. McCabe (Josh Charles), Deacon "Deke" Kaye (LL Cool J) and Michael Boxer (Brian Van Holt), who make up the supporting cast.
When sinister Frenchman and international drug dealer Alex Montel (Olivier Martinez) arrives in the U.S. to finish some family business, the rookie S.W.A.T. team is sent to transport him to a high security prison. The task seems simple enough until Montel offers the American public $100 million to for breaking him out of S.W.A.T. custody. Suddenly, rebels thirsty for easy cash are attacking Harrelson's team. Not only do they have to detain Montel, but they must defend him as well.
While many films rely on action and special effects to draw a crowd, action films often lack true talent in both the acting and writing. S.W.A.T., on the other hand, has deeper moments and detailed conversations that actually develop the main characters.
One scene, involving Street, shows Harrelson's soft side. He knew Street deserved another chance and was there to offer him one. Contrasting this character development are characters like Boxer and McCabe who get brushed aside in the script and serve better as extras rather than as part of the supporting cast.
The film definitely has its explosive moments, involving everything from machine guns to rocket launchers. The onsets of the action scenes are predictable, especially when greedy radicals ambush the team. Nevertheless, every action taken by the S.W.A.T. team is realistic -- there are no extreme super-cop actions that could only be completed by the Terminator himself.
S.W.A.T. is completely void of any romantic notions, which is quite rare, especially for an action film. Just when I thought a steamy sex scene was just around the corner, the ex-girlfriend leaves. How dare they tease us like that! Honestly, even Disney movies have romantic scenes!
Street's ex-girlfriend served no purpose the movie anyway. She had about five lines and was never seen again. As a sister of Street's colleague, her only purpose was to give the boys something to tease Street about. Even Rodriguez, the only female team member, never blinked in the presence of Street. Dedicated to her daughter and her job, Rodriguez kept her eye on the ball ... no pun intended.
S.W.A.T., directed by Clark Johnson, is one action film that goes beyond hot cars and big guns. It's a nice refresher in the classic bad guy versus good guy genre. If you're in the mood for a lot of combat and thrill, don't miss out on this box office blowout.
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