S.W.A.T. is a bust

Cars blowing up, people being shot, planes landing on bridges, and international terrorists escaping from prison: this is basically all that S.W.A.T., directed by Clark Johnson, involves. S.W.A.T. follows many clichés of police-action movies and fails to bring anything new or original to the genre. There are special weapons, but hardly any tactics in this film.

S.W.A.T. is jam-packed with shooting and explosions, but lacks an original or compelling plot. The action scenes are not even particularly innovative or special. Although the gunshots sounded surprisingly realistic, making viewers feel like they were in the middle of a western style shoot-out with high caliber automatic weapons.

The action peaks in the opening scene, which begins in the midst of a chaotic failed bank robbery attempt turned gun battle. The regular cops are unable to stop the madmen, so the powerful S.W.A.T. unit is called in to save the day. Different camera shots used in the scene look like real police footage, which was an interesting affect. This scene works because the viewer feels a sense of the chaos, confusion and tension. The scene ends with officer Gamble (Jeremy Renner), who is Jim Street's (Colin Farrell) partner, shooting a robber and in the process nicking a hostage.

However, the movie does not live up to this heated opening scene. The plot becomes predicable as Street is kicked off S.W.A.T. and is assigned to equipment duty, while his partner, Gamble, quits the force in a furry of rage. The viewer can already predict that Gamble will come back into the film with a vengeance. Then, veteran S.W.A.T. officer Dan "Hondo" Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson) returns to organize a new unit.

All the characters in S.W.A.T. are predictable and clichéd. Hondo is the classic tough, old school cop who teaches the rookies the hard truth. Street is the talented and committed super-hero of the team with a troubled past. Then there is LL Cool J, who plays the big-tough meathead, Deacon "Deke" Kaye (what a surprise). There is also the tough girl trying to proof herself, Chris Sanchez, played by Michelle Rodriguez. There is the he old white guy with a dirty moustache, and the quiet sharpshooter.

The acting is no highlight, although the viewer should sympathize with the actors because they are given such horrible lines. At one point LL Cool J tackles the international terrorist Alex Montel (Oliver Martinez) and shouts, "Tell daddy how you want it." Also, Street declares he does not treat his body like a temple but "like an amusement park." With atrocious lines like this, taking S.W.A.T. seriously is a hard thing to do.

The plot continues with Montel being arrested. Montel is the usual foreign criminal who is smooth talking with an absurd French accent, but still ruthless and cutthroat. The movie takes a turn for the worse when Montel announces in front of news cameras that he will pay 100 million dollars to anyone who rescues him. This leads to hordes of hoodlums and gangsters trying to free Montel when Hondo and his S.W.A.T. team transport him to federal prison.

In addition to a poor plot, the movie drones on and on. The shooting, exploding and punching keep blazing across the screen with no real direction or purpose. The action also takes a lag when the S.W.A.T. team goes through training and the film focuses on the personal lives of the characters, which is does little to develop character.

So, if you are bored and have nothing to do on a hot and sticky summer afternoon, go read a book.