S.W.A.T.

Dr Interesting and Mr Average came together in one film and the result is S.W.A.T. No, I'm not talking about the actors, but the first and second half of the film. The opening action scene and the recruiting and training of the rookies were fun, brisk and well filmed, but the climactic action set-piece with the escape of the main villain was too routine, with only the snail's pace of the jet taking off being unintentionally amusing. Still, overall, I can't say I was disappointed because I always enjoy the natural acting and charisma of Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson. (2004-07-13)

A routine action flick with minimal action and without a shred of style or creative touch. Would-be sophisticated characters, would-be cool humor, zero suspense. And a bad guy who seems to still be lying in bed with Diane Lane. In what way did the makers of this film want to appeal to viewers? (2003-09-19)

I saw the film a long time ago, and after watching it a second time, it confirmed that it’s one of my favorite American action movies. The story is somewhat bland, but that doesn’t bother me. Considering the film is 12 years old, the $80 million budget is quite substantial, and it mainly shows in the action scenes, which is why I enjoy the film so much. The main roles are played by Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell, who always deliver a 100% performance, and the other actors, including Jeremy Renner and Olivier Martinez as key villains, and other members of the S.W.A.T. team, did not disappoint. I initially rated the film 85% in 2015. EDIT: As of today, I’ve probably seen the film a thousand times. It’s not really about the plot, which is quite primitive (especially with hindsight), and many scenes where the SWAT team’s actions are hard to understand. The action isn’t as abundant as you might expect given the mega-budget. What matters is that I always find it entertaining and feel a sense of satisfaction. The film features one star after another, a clear villain with clichéd lines (which doesn’t bother me at all), a cool main hero surrounded by likable characters, and an incredibly appealing soundtrack that has a special place in my heart. Even though I’m no longer a kid who would devour the film wholeheartedly, I still enjoy it. And that’s the main thing, despite the silly plot. I now rate it 83%. (2018-07-21)

A fun action B-movie with an amazing cast led by Colin Farrell, Samuel L. Jackson, Michelle Rodriguez and Jeremy Renner. There could have been more action and it's not too spectacular, but it's still a nice movie to watch, with a good minor twist. 70% (2016-05-06)

Way too much unnecessary fluff for my taste, which reduces some scenes almost to a joke. One of David Ayer's weakest scripts ever, this time unfortunately drowning in clichés, infantilism, and flagrantly unbelievable characters. But if you put the childishness aside and just don't worry about it, you get a pretty brisk action ride with a heap of stellar acting. But the entire stellar cast comes across as self-indulgent at the very least, given the shallowness and superficiality of the entire film. (2019-02-23)