| S.W.A.T. | |
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Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Clark Johnson |
| Produced by | Dan Halsted Chris Lee Neal H. Moritz |
| Screenplay by | David Ayer David McKenna |
| Story by | Ron Mita Jim McClain George Huang (Uncredited) Lem Dobbs (Uncredited) Chris Morgan (Uncredited) Craig Fernandez (Uncredited) |
| Starring | Colin Farrell Samuel L. Jackson Michelle Rodriguez LL Cool J Josh Charles Olivier Martinez Jeremy Renner |
| Music by | Elliot Goldenthal |
| Cinematography | Stephen Goldblatt |
| Editing by | Michael Tronick |
| Studio | Original Film |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
| Release date(s) | August 8, 2003 |
| Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $80 million[1] |
| Box office | $207,725,639[1] |
S.W.A.T. is a 2003 action-crime film directed by Clark Johnson, and is based on the 1975 television series of the same name. It stars Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, LL Cool J and Michelle Rodriguez. It was produced by Neal H. Moritz and released in the United States on August 8, 2003.
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The film begins with a hostage situation in Los Angeles; this was loosely based on the 1997 North Hollywood shootout. Officer Jim Street (Colin Farrell), a former Navy SEAL and hot-shot cop from the Los Angeles Police Department and his SWAT team are sent to stop a gang of robbers who have taken over a bank. His high-tempered partner and close friend Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner) disobeys an order, and wounds a hostage. Gamble and Street are demoted by Captain Fuller (Larry Poindexter), the commander of LAPD's Metropolitan Division, who is portrayed as a "fussy martinet". Gamble quits following arguments with Fuller and Street, the latter of whom is taken off the SWAT team and sent to work in the "gun cage", where he looks after gear and weapons.
Six months after the incident, The Chief of Police calls on Sergeant Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson) to help re-organize the SWAT division. Hondo is transferred in, and soon puts together a diverse team, including himself, Street, Chris Sánchez (Michelle Rodriguez), Deacon Kaye (LL Cool J), T.J. McCabe (Josh Charles), and Michael Boxer (Brian Van Holt). The team trains together and develops bonds of friendship, and their first mission to subdue an unstable gunman is a success.
Meanwhile, a drug lord by the name of Alexander Montel (Olivier Martinez) has killed his father and uncle for control of the family's crime empire. Uniformed L.A.P.D. personnel stop Montel for a broken taillight, detain him, and learn through Interpol he is an international fugitive. But as Montel is transferred to prison, his associates, dressed as LAPD officers, assault the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department bus transporting Montel in an attempt to free him. Hondo's SWAT team foils the assault. As Montel is being brought into the police station in front of a group of reporters, he yells to the TV cameras, "I will give 100 million dollars to whoever gets me out of here!"
The L.A.P.D. makes plans to transfer Montel into federal custody. They plan to fly him away, but a mysterious attacker (it is presumed to be Gamble) shoots down the helicopter. The police next send out a large convoy, which gang members attack. It proves to be a decoy, and Hondo's team has spirited Montel away in two S.U.V.s. However, T.J. has been plotting with Gamble, and the two succeed in taking Montel from the other officers, critically wounding Boxer in the process. Hondo and the rest give chase, and there is a final fierce battle, Gamble's group against the SWAT officers. Hondo's team is victorious. T.J. kills himself rather than be captured, and there is a vicious hand to hand fight between Street and Gamble, with Street emerging the eventual victor when he kicks Gamble under the wheels of a passing train. The SWAT team delivers Montel to a federal prison to await trial. On the way home to L.A., a report of a holdup in progress comes over the police radio, and despite the team being two officers down and off shift for the past twelve hours, Hondo, Street, Kaye, and Sanchez decide to help anyway. The film's last line is Hondo shouting, "Mount up!".
Reception for the movie was mixed, with a 48% "Rotten" rating on the Rotten Tomatoes, based on 160 critical reviews.[2]
Film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave S.W.A.T. a favorable rating of three stars, as well as a thumbs up on At the Movies. He complemented the characters, dialogue, and the action sequences which he found believable.[3]
Elliot Goldenthal composed the soundtrack.
In the original TV series, the role of Hondo was played by white actor Steve Forrest, who made a cameo appearance at the end of the film as the S.W.A.T. transport driver. T.J. McCabe is one of the antagonists, whereas in the TV series, he always worked for the team.
The film also changes the S.W.A.T. team in several important ways:
A direct-to-DVD sequel was released on March 1, 2011 entitled S.W.A.T.: Firefight.
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