Inspired actors fail to rescue ‘S.W.A.T.’
It’s fitting that “S.W.A.T.” is based on a network series, since the big-screen adaptation registers as a glossy TV movie. Other than the inspired casting of Samuel L. Jackson (“Pulp Fiction”), Colin Farrell (“The Recruit”), LL Cool J (“Deep Blue Sea”) and Michelle Rodriguez (“The Fast and the Furious”), very little thought seems to have gone into this $70 million production. That may suit some casual viewers just fine, because they can take bathroom breaks or visit the concession stand at any time and really not miss anything of importance during the always easygoing, intermittently exciting cops-versus-creeps tale.
The plot could easily fit on a Post-it Note.
Dan “Hondo” Harrelson (Jackson), a legendary sergeant in Los Angeles’ Special Weapons and Tactics unit, is assigned to create a new team, one that by-the-book Capt. Fuller (Larry Poindexter) hopes will fail.
That will give the unimaginative commander the ammunition to get rid of Hondo, a no-nonsense officer and Vietnam veteran totally unafraid of making unorthodox decisions when dealing with deadly criminals.
Jim Street (Farrell), a former Navy SEAL, falls from Capt. Fuller’s good graces after a botched hostage incident. That rocky situation between Street and the superior officer only increases Hondo’s interest in the fiery young man, who’s an expert marksman with no fear of being in the line of fire. Hondo also attracts Chris Sanchez (Rodriguez), a female officer who never holds back punches, and Deacon Kaye (LL Cool J), a muscular patrolman with street smarts and incredible stamina.
After the team is established, “S.W.A.T.” takes a turn as an international criminal, Alex Montel (charismatic Olivier Martinez of “Unfaithful”), is captured and offers $100 million to anyone who frees him. That incredible fee inspires numerous gang members and underworld types to grab their weapons, hit the mean streets and start firing whenever the police attempt to move Montel.
The film stumbles during the numerous attempts – none of them very intense or the least bit original – to free Montel. A climactic bridge sequence involving a small airplane and a limousine packed with Hondo and his crew offers a couple of exciting moments but little more.
In his big-screen filmmaking debut, Clark Johnson, a Philadelphia native who won an Emmy Award for directing the pilot of the edgy F/X series “The Shield,” simply seems overwhelmed and never fully develops the characters or focuses the action. Jackson, Farrell, LL Cool J and Rodriguez prove armed, dangerous and ready to rumble, but “S.W.A.T.” too often makes them seem like they’re simply shooting blanks.
Postscript: “S.W.A.T.” aired on ABC from Feb. 24, 1975 to June 29, 1976. The “Theme from ‘S.W.A.T.,'” which was composed by Barry De Vorzon and became a popular recording, is heard throughout the film version. Steve Forrest, who plays Hondo in the original series, briefly appears in a very fitting cameo in the film’s final moments.
FILM REVIEW
“S.W.A.T.”
Grade: B- (for fans of the original series); C for anyone else.
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, LL Cool J, Michelle Rodriguez and Olivier Martinez; screenplay by David Ayer and David McKenna; produced by Neal H. Moritz and Dan Halsted; directed by Clark Johnson.
Running Time: 115 minutes.
Parental Guide: PG-13 rating (strong violence, harsh four-letter profanity, sexual innuendo).