Television director/actor Clark Johnson makes an impressive feature-film debut with S.W.A.T. Inspired by the 1970s show of the same name, S.W.A.T. is set in modern day Los Angeles. Recently demoted officer Jim Street (Colin Farrell) gets a chance to redeem himself when aging veteran Hondo (Samuel L. Jackson) is put in control of a new team. Joining Jim are Deke Kay (LL Cool J), Michael Boxer (Brian Van Holt), T.J. McCabe (Josh Charles), and Chris Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez), all outcasts in their own right. But after an intense training period, the team is ready to hit the streets. Their first big assignment involves one of the world's most dangerous criminals, Alex Montel (Olivier Martinez), who makes an on-camera declaration that he'll give $100 million to whoever breaks him out of jail. Pretty soon, everyone's trying to get a piece of the action, including Jim's former partner, Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner), who uses his own S.W.A.T. team experience to plot the escape of a lifetime. It's up to Hondo and Jim to outsmart the bad guys and make sure that Alex is safely transported to a federal penitentiary. S.W.A.T. is an entertaining adventure made all the more engaging because of the way Johnson concerns himself equally with the quality of the film's drama and its action.
Theatrical Release: AUGUST 8, 2003
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Special Edition
Widescreen - 1.85
Audio:
Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
Dolby Digital 5.1 - French
Additional Release Material:
Deleted Scenes (8)
Bloopers: Gag Reel
'Sound & Fury' of S.W.A.T.
Technical Consultant
Featurette:
1. 6TH STREET BRIDGE
2. ANATOMY OF A SHOOT OUT
3. SWAT - TV'S ORIGINAL SUPER COPS
4. THE MAKING OF 'SWAT'
Audio Commentary:
1. Clark Johnson - Director, Cast
2. David Ayer, David McKenna - Screenwriters, Ed Arneson -
Text/Photo Galleries:
Filmographies
Stars
Samuel L. Jackson: American actor, PULP FICTION
Colin Farrell: Irish actor, TIGERLAND/ALEXANDER
Olivier Martinez: Actor, IP5
Michelle Rodriguez: American actress, GIRLFIGHT/BLUE CRUSH
Josh Charles: American actor, SPORTS NIGHT
LL Cool J: Actor/Rapper
Brian Van Holt: Actor
Ken RudĂșlph: American Actor, BLOOD, GUTS, BULLETS, AND OCTANE (1998)
Jeremy Renner: American Actor, DAHMER (2002)
Director
Clark Johnson: Actor/"Final Round"
Producer
Neal H. Moritz: Producer/"Juice"
Dan Halstead:
Screenwriter
David Ayer: Screenwriter
David McKenna: Screenwriter
Ron Mita: Screenwriter, SNIPER 2 (2002)
Jim McClain: Screenwriter, SNIPER 2 (2002)
Composer
Elliot Goldenthal:
Editor
Michael Tronick: TV/Film/Music Editor
Director of Photography
Gabriel Beristain:
Production Designer
Mayne Berke:
Story
Jim McClain: Screenwriter, SNIPER 2 (2002)
Story
Ron Mita: Screenwriter, SNIPER 2 (2002)
Costume Designer
Christopher Lawrence:
Review 1:
"...The new-millennium S.W.A.T. provides entertainment quite apart from the diversion of flashy action sequences..."
Source: Entertainment Weekly
p.50-1 08/15/2003
Review 2:
"[The] cast -- including Farrell, Jackson, LL Cool J, Olivier Martinez and Michelle Rodriguez -- seems to be enjoying itself."
Source: Los Angeles Times
p.C49 01/01/2004
Review 3:
"[A]ction-packed."
Source: Total Film
p.30 01/01/2004
Review 4:
"[T]his one has a plot and characters, dialogue and plausibility, and physical feats that an actual cop might really almost be able to perform."
Source: Chicago Sun-Times
p.37 12/30/2004
Review 5:
"Johnson has an impeccable cop show pedigree..."
Source: Uncut
p.136 01/01/2004