Review: A solid 'S.W.A.T.'
Script is laughable, but director, actors make it work
By Paul Clinton
CNN Reviewer
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Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell lead the team in "S.W.A.T."
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(CNN) -- Who do the cops call when they need help? Apparently they dial up the Special Weapons and Tactics unit, better known as S.W.A.T.
What does Hollywood do when it needs a film with built-in appeal? It takes an old TV show from the 1970s and makes it into a major motion picture.
What do you get as a result? You get "S.W.A.T.," starring Colin Farrell, Samuel L. Jackson, Olivier Martinez and Michelle Rodriguez.
Directed by television director Clark Johnson (best known for his acting in the series "Homicide") and written by David Ayer ("Training Day") and David McKenna ("American History X"), "S.W.A.T." is one long adrenaline shot that never takes itself seriously and never pauses long enough to worry about making much sense.
Making the team
Farrell plays Jim Street, who at the beginning of the film is a member of the S.W.A.T. unit. But after his partner Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner) disobeys orders and shoots a civilian during a hostage crisis, Street is demoted and Gamble is fired.
The S.W.A.T. unit is trying to solve the problems caused by a drug lord's (Olivier Martinez) offer to pay $100 million to anyone who can free him from custody.
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Street seems to be lost in the system until a new S.W.A.T. commander, Dan "Hondo" Harrelson (Jackson), rescues him and makes him part of his new unit. This part of the film feels a lot like a remake of "The Dirty Dozen," as Harrelson picks a series of misfits and turns them into killing machines.
Soon Street is a happy camper running around the training center and shooting and stabbing dummies to his heart's content. Harrelson also picks the first female member of the unit, Chris Sanchez (played with her trademark intensity by Rodriguez). His other recruits include David "Deke" Kaye (LL Cool J), Michael Boxer (Brian Van Holt) and T.J. McCabe (Josh Charles). The good guys are in place.
Enter the one-dimensional evil villain, the notorious drug lord Alex Montel (Martinez).
Montel is pulled over during a routine traffic stop and arrested when his identity can't be confirmed. After his real name is discovered he's soon paraded in front of the press -- and he blurts out an offer he hopes someone can't refuse. He offers $100 million to whomever can break him out of jail before he's turned over to the federal government.
Action building
Suddenly it's "Who Wants to be a Multi-Millionaire Day" in L.A., as various gangs and lowlifes attempt to free Montel, forcing the S.W.A.T. unit into overdrive. But the real threat occurs when a former S.W.A.T. member joins the game and meets the unit with their own tactics and their own systems.
Soon automatic weapons, exploding buildings, burning cars -- even Lear jets landing on freeways -- fill the screen as the mindless action builds and builds. It finally ends with ... well you get the picture.
Led by Jackson, and ably assisted by Farrell, the entire cast turns in solid, believable performances. But with dialogue such as "You're either S.W.A.T. or you're not," or "OK guys, this is what we trained for," it's an uphill battle to take this script seriously.
"S.W.A.T." is a perfect example of an August film release. During these dog days of summer, brainless, popcorn-chomping entertainment is what some people are looking for. "S.W.A.T." fills the bill pretty well.
"S.W.A.T." opens nationwide on Friday, August 8, and is rated PG-13.
