S.W.A.T. (2003)

• Review: ** (out of ****)
• Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J, Josh Charles, Jeremy Renner, Brian Van Holt, Olivier Martinez, Reg E. Cathey, Larry Poindexter
• Director: Clark Johnson
• Screenplay: David Ayer, David McKenna
• Length: 117 min.
• MPAA Rating: PG-13 (For violence, language and sexual references)

The latest big screen adaptation of a 1970s television series finds S.W.A.T. taking on one of its own.

Colin Farrell stars as JimStreet, a talented Los Angeles cop whose focus is on being a valuablemember of the Special Weapons And Tactics (S.W.A.T.) team. Hisrebellious nature alongside his partner Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner)gets him kicked off the team and sitting the sidelines waiting for hischance to return to the squad. To downplay the negative image S.W.A.T.has developed, ex-S.W.A.T. agent Sgt. 'Hondo' Harrelson (Samuel L.Jackson) is brought back to active duty to select and train an eliteforce that will bring glory back to the department.

For his team, he selectsDavid "Deke" Kay (LL Cool J), T.J. McCabe (Josh Charles), Michael Boxer(Brian Van Holt), Chris Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez) and Street.Together they train to become the best team S.W.A.T. has and get toprove it when they capture mob hitman Alex Montel (Olivier Martinez)after his escape from a prison bus.

All isn't well for longwhen Montel announces on television that he will pay a handsome sum toanyone who breaks him out of police custody. Several groups come to therescue but it's Street's old buddy Gamble who comes successfully to hisaide leading Street and his fellow teammates on a race to thwart him.

S.W.A.T. starts offfairly promising with good relationships between its characters. In anintense opening sequence and its aftermath, Farrell and Renner reboundfrom one another effectively. Their chemistry sets a unique style thatdiminishes as the film drags on. Farrell then fades into the backgroundas he fails to achieve the quality of work he displayed in The Recruit. The same canbe said for Renner who, after his brilliant performance in Dahmer ,never breaks from his stereotypical maniac performance enough to becomea better-rounded villain.

Samuel L. Jacksoncontinues in the same vein he's been typecast in for his last severalfilms. He plays the same gruff, tough and sarcastic character thataudiences have come to enjoy without any of the range or quality hispeers deliver. LL Cool J, Charles and Van Holt yield subduedcaricatures of their given roles that fail to capture the audience'sattention or concern. Rodriguez does everything she can to play theatypical love interest and does an admirable job with as little asshe's given.

Director Clark Johnsontakes David Ayer and David McKenna's sheepish screenplay and delivers aweak, bombastic picture. His concern for action over performances givesthe audience the impression that all one needs to do to make a film isslap some named-actors into roles designed for high school thespians,give the audience a few quick edits and some dialogue clichés and blindthem with so much unnecessary plot conventions. He seems to assume thatthis makes a quality production when all it does is deprive audiencesof great storytelling, compelling performance and a rewardingtheatrical experience.

S.W.A.T. is great whenall you want to do is eat popcorn, drink soda and miss 30 minutes ofthe film walking a mile through the theater to find a bathroom. Itssole purpose is to drag adrenaline junkies to the theater and dazzlethem with two hours of chases and explosions and reap the profits of anunsuspecting film enthusiast.

-Wesley Lovell (September 30, 2003)