Rating: 
Summary: Rehashed Action, Hokey Dialogue....& (Small) Creative Spark
Review: After a series of embarrassing incidents in the press, the Los Angeles Police Department charges a veteran S.W.A.T. officer, Captain Hondo (Samuel L. Jackson), with the job of creating a new special unit that will not make mistakes. Hondo chooses a motley bunch of tough police officers, some out of favor with their superiors, for his elite team: Jim Street (Colin Farrell), "Deke" Kay (LL Cool J), Chris Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez), Michael Boxer (Brian Van Holt), and T.J. McCabe (Josh Charles). Shortly after the team has qualified, an international crime kingpin (Olivier Martinez) in the LAPD's custody publicly offers $100 million dollars to whomever can secure his freedom, bringing every hoodlum in Hollywood out of the woodwork to try to bust him out."S.W.A.T." is based on the 1970s television show of the same name. Fans of the show will recognize the names of Hondo, Street, Deke, and T.J. McCabe. One of the team is now a woman and an additional officer has been added. And there you have the modernized movie version of "S.W.A.T.". Unfortunately, modernized doesn't mean improved. It takes an hour for the film's main action to start. The filmmakers try to spend that time developing the characters, but there isn't much to develop. An action film with little additional substance can't get away with nearly an hour's lull in the action. Even Samuel L. Jackson's imposing presence and Colin Farrell's cuteness aren't enough to overcome the stagnation. The level of script-writing in "S.W.A.T." is very much like television. Whenever the characters spoke, I got the feeling that I was watching a slightly cheesy prime-time cop drama. The film's dialogue has the hokey quality that the t.v. show did. This could be intentional, but a big-budget theatrical release doesn't seem worth the time or money if it can do no better than 30-year-old television. I'm giving "S.W.A.T." a marginal recommendation because the French crime kingpin, played by hunky Olivier Martinez, is kind of interesting -I wish he had more to do- and because, once the movie gets rolling, there is one -and only one- creative action sequence. "S.W.A.T." has an appealing cast and a smidgen of creativity, but it's best as a rental so you will have something else to entertain yourself with during the film's abundant dull moments. Not in any way groundbreaking, as the television show was. The DVD: Bonus features include: 2 commentaries, one by director Clark Johnson and the cast and one by the screenwriters and technical consultant; "Anatomy of a Shootout" featurette that describes the making of the film's opening sequence.; a mini-documentary on the original "S.W.A.T." tv show.; a "making of " documentary; a featurette about creation of "6th Street Bridge" sequence; featurette on film's sound effects; bloopers; and cast filmographies. If you're really interested in the movie, this is a pretty good DVD package. If you only have time to watch one extra, try the "making of" documentary. Subtitles are available in English and French. Dubbing is available in French.
Rating: 
Summary: Lame!
Review: Even by summer action flick standards, this movie is pretty bad. Why did they even bother making this? It was so cookie-cutter generic and predictable. I kept thinking maybe they were setting us up with this paint-by-numbers plot, only to throw in some huge twist at the end, but no such luck. This was one of the few movies I've seen where I was able to predict each and every event that was going to unfold with nauseating accuracy. Even this review is generic, for cying out loud. Yes, this movie was so bland that it actually infects everything it touches and renders it disgustingly uninteresting. Case in point; I used to have a sense of humor and an active social life before the day I watched this movie. Ever since then, all I can think about are state bailment laws, APA format, Leon Uris, and fluctuating interest rate trends on home equity loans. My friends have all alienated me due to my incessant rambling about stuff nobody cares about. Even now, I ramble on. Don't you just want to shoot me? Don't let this happen to you. Stay away from this movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Average action movie, really good
Review: "S.W.A.T." is what it is; a pure actionier, with little in the way of character and motivation. Samuel L. Jackson is assigned to create a new S.W.A.T. team for the L.A.P.D. First to be recruited is Colin Farrel, who used to be S.W.A.T., but was demoted after a failed operation. The rest are young, fit, highly motivated police officers (including LL Cool J and Michelle Rodrigez) and trained to be the best of the elite team. After training ends, their first mission is to transport rich French terrorist (Oliver martinez) who declairs he will pay $100,000,000 for anyone who will release him. Needless to say this draws all the crooks in L.A. out of the wood work to help. Like I said, it's just a adrinilin rush for two hours, but there has been worst. Ferral and Jackson have a wonderful repore that keeps things interseting, and the action is absolutly riviting.
Rating: 
Summary: Painful
Review: This movie had promise, at least I thought from the preview, but I was pretty much disappointed. It lacked originality beyond what the preview offered, a guy offering some millions of dollars to anyone that could get him out of prison.
I will give it a bit of praise in the action/adventure part, it certainly wasn't boring, and in fact, I've actually watched it twice, however, because of all the problems I just can't bring myself to call it average, so I'll stay with the two star review.
Rating:
Summary: Good Guys Wear Black.
Review: Whether they go the route of parody or stick true to the original source material, Hollywood has about a 25% success record of making successful films from television serieses. (...) The movie S.W.A.T. is loosely based upon the flash-in-the-pan televsion from the 1970s by the same name and is one of the few based-upon-a-tv-movies that actually works well. The movie stars Colin Farrell as a former S.W.A.T. member who is demoted after being involved in a successful hostage rescue operation which resulted in a civilian being wounded. Farrell's partner quits the force, but Farrell stays on and takes a huge career demotion working in "the cage" (the weapons check out place). He's eventually picked up by Sgt. Hondo (Samuel L. Jackson) to be a part of a new Los Angeles S.W.A.T. team. The team bonds, has a minor assignment, then gets involved with the transportation of an international crimelord who was discovered and arrested because of a broken tail light. The crime boss offers $100,000,000 to anyone who can successfully free him and all the thieves, gangs, and thugs go wild. I was pleasantly surprised while watching the movie and I really enjoyed watching S.W.A.T. There are two main reasons for that. First off, S.W.A.T. is one of the few movies based on a television show that actually works. The movie is different from the show, yet remains fairly true to the spirit. Not only that, but the movie feels like you're watching a huge television show, complete with places where televsion commercials could have been place. Besides that, S.W.A.T. is also a movie that doesn't pretend to be anything more than it is. The movie is a huge action picture and it has no intentions of being anything but that. It also is a movie based upon a tv show and it knows that too and doesn't pretend to be anything totally new and original. Since the film doesn't pretend to be anything more than it is, it works well and at times seems surprisingly realistic. Other than a few innuendos, the movie has no sexual content. There is a lot of violence, but none of it gory or all that graphic. There is a lot of foul language and that's the main thing that keeps the movie from being completely "family friendly". S.W.A.T. is not a movie that everyone is going to like. However, if your in the mood for a decent action picture that doesn't seem too silly, you might want to watch S.W.A.T.
Rating:
Summary: Great Cast, Very Bad Movie
Review: This movie actually has no point whatsoever. If there is a plot in this garbage, you'd probably have seen it before. Other than that, this movie has some good scenes of action but the story goes no where and begins from the middle, so you wouldn't actually understand, it's watchable but tasteless and boring. If you want the real deal, get Lethal Weapon 1, 2, 3 or 4.
Rating:
Summary: SWAT
Review: Inspired by the 1970s action-packed TV series with the catchy theme song, this modern-day "S.W.A.T." stars Colin Farrell as Jim Street, an L.A.P.D. cop who joins the department's elite special weapons and tactics unit commandeered by Hondo (Samuel Jackson). They're up against a drug lord (Olivier Martinez) who's offering a million dollars to the first person who
springs him from jail. Only the S.W.A.T. team can stop his plan.
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, More
RATEDPG For violence, language and sexual references
Judging from the review from the guy in England, this has to appeal to us in the US! Wild shoot em ups, some close to realistic SWAT tactics, lots of guns, lots of sex and cussing! PERFECT. My wife did make me sit through Chocolat again though. Sometimes a man just wants to watch an action movie. SWAT fit the bill better than most "action" movies currently out. I enjoyed it.
(...)
Rating: 
Summary: wicked awesome
Review: how could anyone hate this movie. It was awseome. Cops do whatever they can to stop anybody from aiding the escape of a druglord who put an offer on 100 million. Gun battles, explosions, chases, it so good.
Rating:
Summary: Now I've seen everything!
Review: Is it possible? I'm still not sure, but I think I just witnessed a movie actually suck the cool out of Samuel L. Jackson! Unless slipping into a coma is your idea of fun, I'd suggest passing on S.W.A.T.
Rating:
Summary: Kept Making Me Look at the Clock
Review: Just how does one combine the great Samuel L. Jackson, a crack team of commando police officers, and a villain willing to pay $100 million for freedom and make something as clunky as "SWAT"? Well, if you want the answer to that question, this laborious "action" thriller is for you. As with most contemporary films, check your brain at the door; in fact, the only thing you'll really need it for is ticking off all of the other movies you'd rather be watching. Of course, you could also spend the time cataloging the many films this one seems to raid for ideas . . . "Heat," "Bad Boys," "Licence to Kill," "The Right Stuff," "Executive Decision,"--not to the mention the 70s TV series upon which it is based. The story--an international gangster gets nabbed and the SWATsters battle former team members to keep him--is just a flimsy excuse for some ho-hum action sequences and lots of tiresome macho posturing. Even the usually ultra-cool Jackson seems bored with the goings-on.
|
