"S.W.A.T." proves summer action films follow the same, tired good-guys-with-guns- beating-up-on-bad-guys formula.
Just another one of the typical summer blockbuster action flicks, "S.W.A.T.," based on the short-lived 1975 TV series, is a predictable story of an underdog police team that has to overcome enormous odds and deal with the struggles of police work.
Colin Farrell stars as Jim Street, a S.W.A.T. officer who has to work his way back on the force after his partner makes a big mistake in judgment. Street's only chance to rejoin S.W.A.T. comes after Sgt. Hondo (Samuel L. Jackson) returns to the force and wants to create a tougher squad, to the frustration of the police captain that also has something against him.
With Street on the team, Hondo adds four more to the squad, including Deke (L.L. Cool J.) and Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez). The team must work hard to prove itself to the police captain who believes them to be a squad of rejects.
Along with the struggle to prove themselves as a team, the group must deal with a driven drug lord (Oliver Martinez) who offers $100 million to anyone that will get him out of jail.
With the offer, the country goes insane for the drug lord. Sadly, the film accurately depicts the greedy, money-hungry nature of society and the chaos it can cause police.
Farrell does well in his role as Street, but his acting is nothing memorable. He plays out the character of a typical down-and-out cop struggling to come back. With the lack of character growth in the movie, Farrell is stuck in the typical good-cop formula.
Martinez is a good fit for the villainous drug lord, but the failure to give him enough screen time tames down the action. The build-up for the villain lacks the killer mentality needed to create a frightening bad guy.
But, while the common cop film clichés drive the movie, there are some surprises to be had.
The action sequences throughout the film shine as focus is spent not on high-tech special effects but the maneuvers that make S.W.A.T. teams different from other areas of law enforcement.
During the hostage scenes, the adrenaline builds from actual moves and not just blowing up cars and planes like so many other summer action flicks.
The real problem in the film is, while it creates drama in the action scenes, there is no real concern for the characters.
Street is the only character that is even mildly connected to the audience and it is difficult to be worried about survival of characters the audience really knows nothing about.
Although the movie is full of the typical cop scenes and redundant dialogue, the generic action film still does entertain and makes "S.W.A.T." worthwhile escapism.
