2003 Directed by Clark Johnson
Hondo Harrelson recruits Jim Street to join an elite unit of the Los Angeles Police Department. Together they seek out more members, including tough Deke Kay and single mom Chris Sanchez. The team's first big assignment is to escort crime boss Alex Montel to prison. It seems routine, but when Montel offers a huge reward to anyone who can break him free, criminals of various stripes step up for the prize.
Samuel L. Jackson Colin Farrell Michelle Rodriguez LL Cool J Josh Charles Jeremy Renner Brian Van Holt Olivier Martinez Domenick Lombardozzi Reg E. Cathey Larry Poindexter Page Kennedy James DuMont Denis Arndt Lindsey Ginter Octavia Spencer Noel Gugliemi Clark Johnson Matt Gerald Ken Davitian Tricia Kelly Ashley Scott Benjamin King Alex Trebek Reed Diamond Neal H. Moritz Max Thayer Jeff Wincott Marcio Rosario Show All…
M. James Arnett Seth Arnett David Leitch Damon Caro Robin Lynn Bonaccorsi Giacomo Knox Brennan Dyson
Peter Brown Vincent Guisetti Jeffrey J. Haboush Larry Hopkins Lisa Hannan Paul N.J. Ottosson John Kohlbrenner James Simcik Cameron Frankley Sean Landeros James Ashwill Joe Martin Jeremy Pitts Steve Nelson
SWAT, S W A T, S.W.A.T. - Unidad especial, S.W.A.T. - Spetsialen otryad, Jednotka rýchleho nasadenia, S.W.A.T. - Politiets eliteenhed, S.W.A.T.: Epílekti omáda kroúsis, S.W.A.T.: Spetsnaz goroda angelov, Specijalna policijska jedinica, Спецпризначенці, S.W.A.T. - Die Spezialeinheit, スワット, S.W.A.T. ：2003, S.W.A.T. - Специален отряд, Els homes de Harrelson (S.W.A.T.), S.W.A.T. - Jednotka rychlého nasazení, S.W.A.T.: Επίλεκτη ομάδα κρούσης, S.W.A.T.: Los hombres de Harrelson, S.W.A.T. Unité d'élite, ימ''מ: יחידת פריצה, Specijalci, S.W.A.T. - Különleges kommandó, S.W.A.T. - Squadra speciale anticrimine, S.W.A.T. 특수기동대, SWAT - Greito reagavimo burys, S.W.A.T. Speciālo uzdevumu vienība, S.W.A.T. Jednostka Specjalna, S.W.A.T.: Comando Especial, S.W.A.T. - Força de Intervenção, S.W.A.T. - Trupe de elita, S.W.A.T.: Спецназ города ангелов, S.W.A.T.: Jednotka rýchleho nasadenia, S.W.A.T. - Specialci, Специјална полицијска јединица, ส.ว.า.ท. หน่วยจู่โจมระห่ำโลก, S.W.A.T.: Özel Tim, S.W.A.T.: Спецназ міста ангелів, 反恐特警组, 反恐特警組
my thoughts while watching S.W.A.T.:
- thrilling cold-open reminiscent of the 1997 north hollywood shootout 🙇♂️
- colin farrell is hot as fuck 🥵
- octavia spencer has a one scene cameo as a stereotypical sassy black woman, love to see it 🤗
- michelle rodriguez is a baddie 🥰
- "you can't trust a man who won't eat a good old-fashioned american hot dog" 🌭
- swat training montages are fun 👍
- ll cool j, samuel l. & reg e. cathey are fresh as hell 😎
- jeremy renner's nu-metal/punk earrings are fucking disgusting 🤢
- RADON RANDELL, BMS BABY! 🏈
- bridget the midget? 🤨
- "i will give 100 million dollars to whoever gets me out of…
Cinematic Time Capsule
2003 Marathon - Film #87
”They only roll in John Woo movies, not in real life”
Finding out this was directed by Homicide & The Wire’s Clark Johnson makes this big dumb action flick feel like it’s being directed by an old friend.
And the first half is even better than you could hope for in a big dumb action flick. Sadly though, once we’re past training, the final setpiece becomes even more absurd than your average big dumb action flick could ever aspire to be.
So in the end it’s a bit a letdown, but with cast like this and Johnson at the helm at least the sting of a weak story doesn’t hurt too badly.
”You look like you need a Band-Aid”
“Somebody else needs a body bag downstairs”
"Every cop in this department knows we did the right thing."
"Sometimes doing the right thing isn't doing the right thing."
"What the hell does that mean?!"
The wailing guitar score and someone saying "let's rock and roll" when the S.W.A.T. team first shows up... a Linkin Park song on the soundtrack... bad tattoos (especially that one tramp stamp)... everyone uses a Motorola flip phone... it's 2003 copaganda, baby!
Points to Samuel L. Jackson for being described as "the gold standard of ass-kickin'" in his introductory scene, LL Cool J flashing his abs at people for no reason and for Colin Farrell's possession of a giant rocket nicknamed the Polish Penetrator (should I elaborate?), negative ten thousand stars for pretty…
yes i did just watch it twice in a row because god damn colin fucking farrell just looks That Good fuCk Me!!!!
Director Clark Johnson has spent the majority of his time in front of the camera rather than behind it. With that in mind, Johnson's filmography isn't exactly littered with gold, although his television work, especially on the likes of The Wire and more recently Homeland have been pretty decent. Feature film-wise however, there's less to shout about, with only this film really registering as a hit for the Philadelphia born actor/director.
I must admit that I don't remember the seventies television series this film is based on, but I hardy think it matters in the end. This is another of those action crime thrillers that helped magnify Colin Farrell's potential as a leading man and gave Samuel L Jackson yet…
Of course it was written by David Ayer but I guess it could have been worse. He could have directed it.
It was pretty apparent to me what S.W.A.T. should have been. The whole film should have been Olivier Martinez sending out $100 million offer and the whole city of Los Angeles going mad trying to spring him. Think of the chaos and excitement that could have created if this had also been directed and written by someone good.
Instead we get what seemed like an age of getting the team together and plenty of other pointless shite before anything exciting starts happening. When it does happen, it's not as exciting as it should be because of the limitation of…
A veteran SWAT leader is brought back to LAPD with orders to recruit a new team. He chooses a bunch of outcasts, mostly in dead-end jobs, and after weeks of hard training they are ready for action.
While "SWAT" is generic and predictable, both stylistically and thematically, it's solidly entertaining thanks to the slick direction and the likability of its stars. The formula is executed successfully, the action scenes are spectacular, the heroes are badass, and the villains are despicable (though not very memorable). As far as cinematic junk food goes, this one is pretty tasty. While there is a significant body count the overall tone is light-hearted, with enough humor and playful banter between the characters to keep things…
S.W.A.T. is the perfect kind of turn-off-your-brain action flick. The stakes are supposed to be high but a letdown from the beginning scene. There is a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff like training and arguing with the guy in charge. I found this to be entertaining. Like I said, turn-off-your-brain action.
I am not sure how I feel about Jeremy Renner as the baddie. He is just too likable. I suppose the terrible earings he was rockin' helped a bit. Outside of that casting error, everyone else was perfect. LL Cool J had to show off his abs. It felt like a contractual obligation, but I can't decide if he or the studio requested it to happen. Colin Farrell was really…
”You only roll in John Woo movies.”
Colin Farrell was in so many movies in 2003 that the Mexican MTV Movie Awards had a special awards category called: Best Colin Farrell in a movie.*
SWAT has all the hallmarks of a high concept 90’s action thriller. A band of rookie SWAT cops, led by some toughened veterans, must escort a multimillionaire playboy bad guy to jail. But there’s a catch!
A 100 million dollar bounty has been offered to anyone who can spring said bad guy from SWAT’s custody. Cue every criminal in the city scurring out of the woodwork for a chance at financial independence.
Its got a great cast, cheesy dialogue, and its not mentally taxing. Everything you…
It started off so well. I don't know if it was due to Colin Farrel and Samuel L. Jackson nailing their parts so well, but I assure that the first act is very gripping.
And then it suffers a lot from the tropes of action cinema.
