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'SWAT', the name says it all
By Taryn Santos
Posted Wed, 19 Nov 2003
Click here to read our interview with SWAT star Samuel L Jackson
'SWAT' is essentially a typical "cops and robbers" movie, with a lot of machismo flavoured one-liners. You don’t watch a film called 'SWAT' and expect all that much in terms of “the deeper meaning of life”. The plot does not thicken (it can’t with such a basic script) and it does not have to anyway with such a charismatic cast to carry the movie.
The film is about a newly formed SWAT team, a highly trained crime fighting unit made up of dynamic individuals that blossom in the face of adversity. It is simple, straightforward entertainment.
Director Clark Johnson’s signature is all over the film. His more familiar works include TV shows such as ‘NYPD Blue’ and ‘The Shield’ (spot the trend). The real-life camera shots in the opening scene are jumpy and disjointed. This creates impact and helps to ground the movie in terms of the concept of 'SWAT' in the film.
The opening scene also establishes the relationship between the characters, Jim Street, the hero (Colin Farrell) and Brain Poker Gamble, the villain (Jeremy Renner from ‘Dahmer’). These two have in essence a Romulus and Remus relationship.
Conflict between these two alpha males begins with their different approaches to a hostage situation. Gamble is trigger-happy and disobeys orders, and his talented partner, Street, is left to pick up the slack. Hot-headed Gamble shoots the hostage in the opening scene and as a result both of them are thrown off SWAT. Gamble becomes bitter and twisted, whereas Street maintains his loyalty to SWAT and is re-recruited by Lt. Dan “Hondo” Harrelson (Samuel L Jackson).
The catchy name at first makes Jackson seem like an action figure, but the graceful execution of his character saves the film from potential layers of bad action cheese. The role was the kind that any acclaimed actor could have fun with and Jackson did exactly that.
Michelle Rodriguez (the most celebrated she-man in film) does gives another performance as a gun-toting-hot-Hispanic-mamma, much like all her other roles. The only dynamic to her character is that she is a single mother. This foil of the hard-hitting street cop is too contrived to find all that convincing.
The rest of the cast seemed overqualified for their roles, and the supporting actors were brilliant but overshadowed by the bigger names — we miss out on the potential for more gem performances. LL Cool J stars as “Deacon Deke Kay” essentially a well-rounded father character with an engaging sense of humour. Whatever screen time LL Cool J had, he used it and made magic. You could have watched his character read a book and found it entertaining.
One of the most handsome bad guys this summer was Oliver Martinez, who plays the role of French super villain Alex Montel. The lover from 'Unfaithful' should take notes from Renner when adding a deeper evil dynamic to his character. Oliver Martinez makes Alex Montel incredibly stylish but he really cannot pull off the “cold psycho villain”. If he was trying to be cold and cruel, he came off as a lukewarm spoiled brat with a penchant for knives.
Alex Montel, for all his lack of personality, does introduce the only complication in the movie — he is essentially the catalyst for the second half of the film. He provides us the break in the monotony of an over-simplified linear script. Montel offers 100 million dollars to the man who breaks him out of prison. Predictably it's Street’s estranged, vengeful ex-partner, Gamble, who graciously obliges to free Monsieur Montel.
Though 'SWAT' is not in the action league of 'Speed' and 'Face Off', it does what an action movie is supposed to. It has a gorgeous cast, lots of bullets and plenty of testosterone, guaranteed to entertain and not challenge the audience on any intellectual level at all.
For more information about SWAT visit their official website: http://www.sony.com/swat
What international critics are saying:
"The actors have an appealing enough chemistry to overcome some of the sillier moments and make 'S.W.A.T' a better film that it probably has any right to be."
- Peter Sobczynski, CRITIC DOCTOR
"S.W.A.T.” does little to reinvent the cop movie ... but it works within the conventions of the genre to deliver solid, reliable entertainment."
- Eric D. Snider, ERICDSNIDER.COM
"'S.W.A.T' is exactly what it promises to be; a fun summer movie that doesn't leave you shaking your head in regret afterwards. Besides, a man in uniform is always a good thing, right?"
- Vanessa Sibbald, ZAP2IT.COM
"About as much mindless fun as you can expect from a good old fashioned American Western transplanted to 21st century Los Angeles."
- Brian Webster, APOLLO
GUIDE
Click here to read our interview with SWAT star Samuel L Jackson
