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S.W.A.T. (Widescreen Special Edition)

S.W.A.T. (Widescreen Special Edition)

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Rating: 2 stars
Summary: S.W.A.T. Review!
Review: Oh boy! Another big-budget TV adapation. This time, we get Hollywood's "bad boy of the minute" Colin Farrell and acting workaholic Sam Jackson as members of an elite S.W.A.T. team who must escort Euro-trash convict Martinez for a prison transfer. To spice things up, the bad guy has declared that he will pay one-hundred million dollars to anyone who helps free him causing the criminal element of the city to come out in full-force.

Farrell is Street, a former S.W.A.T. member who is on the Captain's "... list" after he and his old partner attempt a risky but successful save during a bank hostage crisis, that seems like it was directly pulled from the "44 Minutes" cable movie. Anyways, his old partner is out of the picture and Street is stuck at the evidence locker. Enter Hondo (Jackson). He is the type of "old school tough" that the department is looking for and they want him to start his own unit. Wouldn't you know, he finds something he likes about Street. With a new team consisiting of bad girl ...-kicker Michelle Rodriguez, rapper-actor LL Cool J, and Josh Charles, Hondo is ready for anything but not before the Captain puts his team to the test. For some reason, old Cappy doesn't much like Hondo or Street.

After about a half-hour or so of training montages and subplots that don't really go anywhere, the team passes the test. Lucky for them, they pass just in time to escort a notorious crime kingpin. Here is where things get sticky. We get a whole lot of car chases, explosions, and general action hijinx but it all seems to be done in a way where it seems so "old hat".

"S.W.A.T." is very routine and predicatble. If that's not enough, it spends an exhausting ammount of time getting going. The movie spends over an hour and twenty minutes getting to the crisis and takes a little more than a half hour to finish it. For all the time we spend with the characters before the big showdown, we really don't learn much about them except that Street was left by his girlfriend and that Rodriguez's Chris Sanchez is a single mother who may or may not have a thing for Street. Most importantly for all the predictable plot twists, we really don't get much explanation. One of the major villian's motives aren't really detailed enough to understand why he would take such calculated risks.

S.W.A.T. is a two-hour movie that could have been told in under ninety-minutes. It works in some areas because of its likeable cast, most noteably Jackson and Rodriguez, but it should have been trimmed a bit in the middle. You pretty much know what you're getting into if you've watched the trailer. To say that this movie was a very predictable action vehicile would be an understatement but it does manage to entertain thanks to an energetic cast.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: Less plot than Black Hawk Down
Review: It seems as though if I enjoyed any movie to come out in the past few years, I better be a fan of Colin Farrell. Has anyone else noticed that he can't say no to a movie, even if it is a mindless action movie with little to offer in terms of plot. SWAT is just an excuse to blow things up and shoot everybody.

This movie is more predictable than 80's horror movies, but despite these major problems, Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell manage to do a good job as members of SWAT. I only hope Samuel L. Jackson begins to realize that the mindless action movies he is in are awful. At least Vin Diesel didn't grace this movie with his presence.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: S.W.A.T.- You're Either SWAT or You're Not
Review: S.W.A.T., a new action flick based on the original 1970s TV show is surprisingly decent. Though the film has a nonsensical plot and one police-cliche after another, it stills hold on with much star charimsa and intensity. Colin Farrell who has been in a lot of other films this year, in fact Farrell is the only actor to have ever starred in 4 movies which have made it to the no.1 spot in opening weekends (Daredevil, S.W.A.T., Phone Booth and The Recruit). Farrell plays SWAT member Jim Street, him and his partner are in a deadly situation dealing with deadly killers who have a bank held hostage. When the situation goes bad, Jim's partner is dismissed from SWAT. Jim not knowing what to do leaves. Then Samuel L. Jackson comes in as a recruiter (sounds familiar to another Farrell picture) to assemble a top-notch team of SWAT members. He finds a few others including Michelle Rodriguez and LL Cool J aka James Tood Smith. From here the incoherent premise kicks in and the intense, well done action sequences pick up. A deadly crimianl (Oliver Martinez)wanted in over a dozen countries is on the run soon gets caught and makes a message over the news that he will pay $100 million to whoever can exonerate him from prison. Of course someone does and from here guns start blazing. This film though a bit formulaic over some good plot twists and nice perfomances specifically from Farrell and Jackson.
S.W.A.T. is rated PG-13 for Violence, Language and Sexual References. A well earned PG-13 with high caliber, deafening intense gunfights, mild sexual innuendo and occasionly strong prfoanity. Though the plot may be derivative, the film is for the most part exciting and enjoyable. Worth seeing in theatres and not a bad pick for owning on Video or DVD.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Lots of action!
Review: This action-packed movie started with a bang as our heroes are called to the bank robbery in progress. LAPD, equipped with ultra modern gadgets such as the mechanical snake, arrived on the scene in such frenzy not to diffuse the situation but added to the confusion. There was a lot of yelling and uncoordinated efforts. No cohesion as a team of "peace officers," to the chagrin of their captain.

Thus a SWAT leader is brought in to maintain a degree of discipline. He recruits Colin Ferrell with his spiky hair, explaining the significance of the letters: Special Weapons And Tactics. It is a "challenge" between this arrogant SWAT leader and the LAPD captain to "best" each other.

In the Figaro cafe, there is a mafia takeover. Every low element of society was touched on, especially the night action on the streets of L.A. The bar scene confrontation between two old friends was staged well.

SWAT training, however, resembled summer camp maneuvers of small town National Guard units. The recruits were far from naive but acted more like college kids pulling pranks on each other. The young actors seemed to be having fun playing "cops & robbers."

Amid the fiery violence at every turn, Colin Ferrell decorated each scene with those expressive eyes. As his character remarked in one instance, "people change." During one of the SWAT exercises, a felon leads a merry chase on foot during his attempted escape but doesn't have a chance and is captured face down on Alex Trebeck's "star." A nice little touch.

A comical "take" on the scenario with planes was the use of cardboard figures as passengers in the simulation of terrorists. Comedy sometimes eases the severity of a possible situation.

There were dramatic events surrounding a foreign prison inmate. All types of public transit were involved in the fiasco whereby he attempts to escape his captors as he is being transported to prison. First, it's close proximity in a diverted Sheriff's bus, then on a stalled Metro 507 subway car, from which he's helped to escape (by the 'cop gone bad') but only temporarily. After an attempted ambush of the motorcade as he's being transported in a police caravan in that strange city, the prisoner gets loose after dark. During this time, the audience is bombarded with the dramatic fast-moving ending with planes, trains, bridges. Look for the #1201 yellow diesel whose appearance is short but deadly.

Why he was so important was never fully explained. It was a diversion from real life, a big-budget blockbuster. Colin Ferrell has now reached star status, but why's he wearing that grey sock on his head?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Genuinely Entertaining...
Review: Being an avid player of games like Rainbow Six and Splinter Cell, I was pretty excited to see what S.W.A.T. and other counter-terrorism missions were like when real people did them. And, altough this was only a movie, I found it very entertaining.
Right off the bat, I noticed that most of the actor/actresses played very stereotypical roles. Samuel L. Jackson is your grizzled old veteran, Colin Farrell is the new guy, LL Cool J is the comic relief, and Michelle Rodriguez is the tough tomboy chick who always gets shot or bitten by a zombie in the end. Whoever that guy was that played the evil "100 MILLION DOLLARS!" guy probably will land a lot more roles like that as well.
Another thing I noticed was the amount of Dr. Pepper cans. Just look for them. They're everywhere. In a row of dull, white bottles, a Red Fusion bottle is sitting at the end of the row. My friend counted 30 or so during the whole thing.
All of that aside, one can find plenty of enjoyment in S.W.A.T. And maybe do yourself a favor and pick up Rogue Spear afterwards.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Delivers non-think escapist summer action.
Review: I spent my hard earned cash for a matinee fully expecting to watch a big, loud, dumb, mindless and escapist action packed film filled with gun-fights, fist fights, stuff blowing up, mean Euro-trash villains (in this case a real slimy Gaul), a team made of devoted experts, decent enough acting and a few funny lines as well as a passable performance by the young Mel Gibson-like Colin Farrell and I have to say, my money was well spent.

SWAT has the potential to be the TOP GUN for special police forces. SWAT contains TOP GUN'S romanticized vision of ripped warrior bodies performing great feats of physical skill. Like TOP GUN'S Navy Pilots and their super sonic jets, this super Police force expertly manipulates specific technology to defeat the forces of evil. A warrior's complete and total command over the tools of the trade- guns, cars, clubs and each other makes such films work as effective recruitment tools. Who wouldn't want to be part of such an expert team?

SWAT embraces all the required clichés befitting a proper action/cop picture: the [...]by-the-numbers captain, the hardened veteran (played with the usual strength and charisma by the always excellent Samuel L. Jackson), the roguish rebel, the tough female partner, the shapeshifting turncoat and the family man as sacrificial lamb.

If someone wants a decent action-adventure, no thinking required, entertaining junk food movie that provides temporary satisfaction, SWAT serves the bill.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent Summer Entertainment
Review: SWAT was action packed, and a real rush!

I highly recommend this film.
Samuel L. Jackson was great as usual, a future oscar winner for
sure!!!

Gaynell

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Either your S.W.A.T. or not
Review: This movie was really good i thought. i was hoping to see better but i like it. None stop action and no romantic scenes either they can ruin movies or save them but swat was good i would say go see it and when it comes out on DVD im gonna get it

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Good Film
Review: This is a good film, at least one where we did not feel our money was wasted (as is the case with 90% of the films). The acting is very good, the effects are convincing and not overdone, the plot is somewhat predictable but never laborious. All in all, a good film, and one to enjoy with your significant other or with older family members.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: You're either S.W.A.T. or you're not
Review: Based on the 1970s TV series, S.W.A.T. is a great story with just enough action to keep you going, without overdoing it.

Jim Street (Colin Farrell) and Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner) are partners on the Los Angeles Special Weapons and Tactics team. When a successful hostage rescue results in a lawsuit for the department, hot-head Gamble quits the force while Street accepts a demotion, hoping for a 2nd chance. That 2nd chance comes in the form of Lt. Dan "Hondo" Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson), a departmental war horse assigned to restore the division's reputation. He hand-picks a new team with Street as its top dog. The other members include Chris Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez of Blue Crush and The Fast and the Furious); David "Deek" Kay (Rapper L.L. Cool J); T.J. McCabe (Josh Charles of Dead Poet's Society); and Michael Boxer (Brian Van Holt of Basic and Windtalkers). Throughout their training period, we get to know a bit about each team member. Their individual personalities really come to life.

Meanwhile, a French criminal kingpin named Alex Montel, played by Oliver Martinez ("Unfaithful"), is caught and imprisoned, and offers $100 million to anyone who can help him escape. The Team is now up against a bunch of money-hungry LA mercenaries which will include some familiar faces.

Great action movie. Naturally, most scenes are stolen by the legendary Samuel L. Jackson and the young, hot, Irish actor Colin Farrell. But the other team members shine as well and add so much to the team and the film. Definitely worth it.


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