TOO MANY BULLETHOLES

A Film Review of "S.W.A.T."

Copyright 2003 Glenn Walker

"S.W.A.T." was originally a spin-off of the ABC TV series "The Rookies" that ran for a season in the mid 1970s. It's not exactly prime mining material for a major theatrical release and yet somehow this got made.

Everyone in the cast are professionals who must have been blackmailed to be in this mess. I've lost a degree of respect for Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell and L.L. Cool J for their participation in S.W.A.T. but I suppose they must have gambling debts or alimony that begs to be paid.

One cast member who hasn't made the best decisions in the past with Blue Crush and Resident Evil is Michelle Rodriguez. She is an actress to watch even though she was in this mess. If you want to see her really act check out Girlfight. Despite bad script choosing she's good.

Others who must need work include cast members of the original TV series who make cameos. Rod Terry plays the father of Deke who he played on the show. TV veteran Steve Forrest plays the same character he played on the show even though Samuel L. Jackson plays him in the movie. Have I mentioned how bad the script is?

The stupidity of the script by Ron Mita is outlandish. I figure the only people who enjoyed this movie were drunks who wandered into the theatre halfway through and then passed out. There are so many bulletholes in the plot you could drive a T3 crane through it. Don't even get me started on there being five thousand manholes in a five block area in Los Angeles or that you can land a Learjet on a car bridge. Did anyone read this script before making it?

The director responsible for this dreck is Clark Johnson. Although he is a veteran of TV cop shows he apparently has no sense of the action film genre. His use of digital video was annoying and served no purpose. Maybe he thought this was a sequel to Blair Witch. How did he get this job? How did he get any job?

The previews show a movie that is highly watchable, very entertaining and action-packed. Apparently this movie advertised is only about as long as said preview. Avoid S.W.A.T. at all costs.