S.W.A.T. (2003) - Movie Review

Director: Clark Johnson
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J, Josh Charles, Jeremy Renner, Brian Van Holt, Olivier Martinez
Genre: Action, Adventure, Thriller, Crime
Writer: David Ayer, David McKenna
Runtime: 117 min
Rated: Rated PG-13 for violence, language and sexual references
Buy This Movie: Blu-ray (Amazon), DVD (Amazon), Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV

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Synopsis:

Hondo Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson) recruits Jim Street (Colin Farrell) to join an elite unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. Together they seek out more members, including tough Deke Kay (LL Cool J) and single mom Chris Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez). The team's first big assignment is to escort crime boss Alex Montel (Olivier Martinez) to prison. It seems routine, but when Montel offers a huge reward to anyone who can break him free, criminals of various stripes step up for the prize.

Review:

I must confess I have a bit of a soft spot for this 2000s action flick. Based on a 1970s TV show, it's one of those projects that lingered in production hell for quite some time. The idea for the movie first popped up in 1997, and various directors were attached to direct, including Michael Mann, Antoine Fuqua, Joel Schumacher, Zack Snyder, John Woo and Michael Bay. Eventually it was helmed by actor-turned-director Clark Johnson, who has mostly worked in television. He only directed one other theatrical release, the 2006 thriller "The Sentinel" starring Michael Douglas and Kiefer Sutherland. Despite lacking the experience of working on a big budget Hollywood movie, Johnson actually did some outstanding work on "S.W.A.T.".

I remember watching the trailer and thinking what a great premise this is. One-note villain played by suave Frenchman Olivier Martinez offers a $100 million reward for anyone who breaks him out of jail, and the good guys have to survive an onslaught of bad guys over the entire course of a 110-minute bullet-riddled action extravaganza. That isn't the case, however, which will probably bum out a lot of people. The story takes some time to get off the ground, using the first half as buildup, while the big action teased in the trailers only kicks in during the second half.

I appreciated that the movie allows more room for its story and characters to breathe, and doesn't rush through the basics of building a narrative. It's also true that the characters are mostly stock, but they are elevated beyond cops and robbers stereotypes with the help of an amazing cast that includes the brooding Colin Farrell, the always cool Samuel L. Jackson, the badass Michelle Rodriguez, the charismatic LL Cool J, and an unhinged Jeremy Renner in one of his early roles.

The pacing is swift throughout and maintains a solid balance between police drama and adrenaline-fueled sequences. It's also well shot and edited, without abusing the "look how cool this is" aesthetics and tropes of the early 2000s. In the end what makes it all work is that writers David Ayer ("Fury", "End of Watch", "The Beekeeper") and David McKenna ("American History X", "Blow") infuse the story and characters with a sense of realism and authenticity, and the dialogue really pops. Reportedly, "The Shield" creator Shawn Ryan also contributed uncredited rewrites. Overall, the script is much better than it needed to be for a movie like this.

It's also got a great soundtrack, filled with nu metal awesomeness that was typical of that era. However, the real highlight is Elliot Goldenthal's incredbile score, a propulsive mix of epic orchestral and electronic music that is just incredible to listen to both in the movie, and on album.

At heart "S.W.A.T." is an old-school police procedural. It wraps up like a TV episode and has that case-of-the-week vibe, but it's elevated by good writing that plays on tropes instead of mindlessly applying them, competent action and a fantastic cast. It's an underrated and highly entertaining product of the 2000s that deserves a second chance.

SCORE: 7.5/10