MOVIE REVIEW

S.W.A.T.  (2003)

Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, LL Cool J
Director: Clark Johnson

Rating: PG-13

Studio: Columbia

Release Date: 8.08.03

Review Posted: 8.14.03

Spoilers: None

By Craig Younkin

"SWAT" a Cool Summer Movie With Action & Thrills

There is a great joy in watching an action movie like SWAT. It features intelligent and well-established characters, it doesn’t feature pyrotechnics or special effects, and above all, it’s a fun movie that never lets up in tension. This is the type of genuinely exciting action movie we’ve been waiting for. In fact, it’s a flick made with skill that knows how to draw in and hold an audience.

The leading characters, all played nicely by Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, Samuel L. Jackson (still holding that cool swagger that makes him so much fun to watch), and LL Cool J, are a charismatic bunch made even more so by the direction of newcomer Clark Johnson and the script by David Ayer.

SWAT is based on a 1970’s television show of the same name (read DVD review here). It starts with Sgt. Dan "Hondo" Harrelson (Jackson), one of the best SWAT guys ever put on the vest and helmet; he is called upon to select and lead a new unit of trainees. The group includes Jim Street (Farrell), a former SWAT guy who got demoted after trying to play cowboy during a robbery attempt, the very buff Deacon Hayes (LL Cool J, is there really anyone else who could play this role?) who craves more than just chasing street thugs, and Sanchez (Rodriguez), a single mother who has been kept out of the program because she’s a woman.

Hondo puts them through a rigorous training program that includes shooting playing cards from a distance to form the best poker hand and trying to foil a demo terrorist attempt on an airplane. But when they are called upon to transport an international killer, drug dealer, and so on, who has just made an offer of $100 million dollars to anyone who can break him out of jail, their job gets a lot tougher.

It’s always easy to see where this movie is going. On the surface it's one big chase involving everything from planes, trains, and automobiles. Even though this is predictable stuff, director Clark Johnson infuses it with a fast paced energy that makes it endlessly thrilling to watch; his work beforehand is equally impressive.

The training exercises are a lot of fun, showing off a high style and a great soundtrack to boot (I dare you not to hum the SWAT theme song walking out of the theater). One scene in particular is the previously mentioned terrorist demo on the airplane, which offers some of the best directing work I’ve seen this year.

The witty screenplay by David Ayer (Training Day) helps a lot too, but for every good line he puts in, he sometimes makes a wrong move by putting in a line that is way too cheesy. But predictability and a few cheesy lines aside, SWAT is a flick that has it all – action, comedy, and talented people. Why can’t more summer movies be like this?

Rating: êêê   (out of 4)

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