S.W.A.T.

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? (19/09/2003)

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. (13/07/2004)

Unexpectedly pleasant surprise that reaches for five stars with its non-standard concept and interesting action. To receive it, S.W.A.T would need a little drop of unforgettable experience, otherwise it may be categorized as a team action crime movie. However, the excitement still prevails, because I haven't seen such a well-assembled unit for a long time. The suffocating atmosphere, inventive action, brisk editing, and very confident direction indicated the direction for action movies of the new millennium, but the producers clearly haven't heard it. Such a shame. 90% (14/06/2007)

An excellent, old-school police thriller that will never get boring to watch again. Samuel L. Jackson and Colin Farrell are wonderfully matched, working in great coordination with the whole team. Oh and Jeremy Renner as the baddie won my heart. A 100 million dollars is a 100 million dollars. (24/03/2006)

S.W.A.T. has one significant flaw, it is impossible to empathize with the main characters. The direction is decent, as well as the action and editing. There are a few very interesting twists and well edited action scenes, but the distinctiveness of the individual characters is minimal. Overall, it comes across as a fast-paced intelligent action thriller that won't offend anyone, but personally, I was expecting a little bit more. (05/12/2003)

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. (23/02/2019)