| S.W.A.T. | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Clark Johnson |
| Screenplay by | |
| Story by |
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| Based on | S.W.A.T. by Robert Hamner |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Gabriel Beristain |
| Edited by | Michael Tronick |
| Music by | Elliot Goldenthal |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Releasing |
Release date |
|
Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $70 million[1] |
| Box office | $207.7 million[2][1] |
S.W.A.T. is a 2003 Americanactioncrimethriller film based on the1975 television series of the same name. Written byDavid Ayer andDavid McKenna, with the story credited to Ron Mita and Jim McClain, directed byClark Johnson and produced byNeal H. Moritz, the film starsSamuel L. Jackson,Colin Farrell,Michelle Rodriguez,LL Cool J,Josh Charles,Jeremy Renner,Brian Van Holt andOlivier Martinez withReg E. Cathey andLarry Poindexter in supporting roles.
Like the TV series, the film revolves around apoliceSpecial Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team operating in Los Angeles California. The plot follows Hondo (Jackson) and his SWAT team as they are tasked to escort an imprisoned drug kingpin/international fugitive to prison after he offers a $100 million reward to anyone who can break him out of police custody.
Plans for a film adaptation of the 1975 TV series began in the 1990s, but never materialized until the early 2000s. Johnson was hired as director and Jackson, Farrell and LL Cool J were cast in 2002.
S.W.A.T. was released in the United States on August 8, 2003 bySony Pictures Releasing under itsColumbia Pictures banner. The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $207 million worldwide.
Los Angeles Police DepartmentSWAT officer Jim Street, his partner Brian Gamble, and their team infiltrate a bank taken hostage by robbers (in a scene loosely based on theNorth Hollywood shootout), where Gamble disobeys orders and engages the robbers, causing a hostage to sustain injuries. He and Street manage to subdue the criminals but are taken off the SWAT team by Captain Fuller, the commanding officer of theLAPD Metropolitan Division. Gamble lashes out and storms out. Fuller offers Street a chance to rejoin the team by implicating Gamble, but he refuses and is therefore demoted to working at the police inventory. Gamble, under the assumption that Street ratted on him to stay on SWAT, quits the force and ends their partnership.
Six months later, the chief of police calls on LAPD veteran, Sergeant Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson, to reorganize the SWAT team. Hondo takes an interest in Street, and recruits him along with fellow officers TJ McCabe, Michael Boxer, Deacon Kaye, and Chris Sanchez, despite Fuller's protests. They bond as they train together and manage to pass their numerous tests; as they celebrate afterward, Street has a hostile run-in with Gamble. The team then succeeds in their first real mission: subduing a Polish hostage by using a wall-breaching battering ram designed by Street.
Meanwhile, Frenchdrug lord Alexander Montel arrives in Los Angeles and kills his uncle for embezzlement after assuming control of his family's criminal empire by killing his father. As he drives to the airport in his uncle's car, he is pulled over by police for a broken tail light, and detained due to discrepancies with his false I.D.; authorities determine that he is an international fugitive and is wanted byInterpol. Montel's associates, disguised as LAPD officers, attempt to break him out as he is being transferred to jail, killing twoSheriff's deputies. Hondo's team manages to arrive in time to kill the gunmen and recapture Montel. As reporters swarm the team, Montel announces to the cameras that he is willing to offer $100 million to whoever is able to break him out, which draws the attention of criminals and gangs across the city.
The LAPD prepare to transfer Montel into federal custody by air, but are unable to escape before Gamble shoots down the helicopter. The police send out a large convoy, which is ambushed by gang members whom discovered it to be a decoy for Hondo's team, who transport Montel in two SUVs. McCabe reveals himself to be in league with Gamble, who critically wounds Boxer and escapes with Montel and McCabe to thesubway, where they hijack a subway car and flee through the sewers as the SWAT team gives chase. Fuller then sends all available units toHawthorne Airport to prevent Montel from escaping by plane.
Hondo's team commandeers a limousine to reach the airport but realizes that Gamble has a private plane that will land on theSixth Street Bridge to fly the criminals out of the country. Preparing to take off, the plane is intercepted and derailed by the SWAT team; Gamble's men are killed, Sanchez is wounded while Kaye arrests Montel, and Hondo confronts McCabe, who commits suicide. Street pursues Gamble to the railyard under the bridge, where they fight hand-to-hand until Gamble is knocked under a passing train and killed. Fuller and the rest of the LAPD arrive, and Hondo's team delivers Montel to federal prison. As the team drives back to Los Angeles, they receive a report of an armed robbery in progress to which Hondo readies his team with prompting from Street.
Original series actorsSteve Forrest andRod Perry have cameo appearances; Forrest drives the team's van, while Perry appears as Kaye's father.[3]
Reed Diamond has a cameo as Officer David Burress. Diamond and director Clark Johnson appeared together onHomicide: Life on the Street for three seasons (in two of which their characters were partners). Johnson himself has a cameo as "Deke's Handsome Partner," who gets hit with a pan while Deke chases a suspect.
A film adaptation of the 1975S.W.A.T. TV series was conceived in the 1990s; Sony was planning to produce and release the film under itsTriStar Pictures banner withMarcus Nispel attached to direct.[4] However, the project never panned out.Michael Bay,Rob Cohen,Antoine Fuqua,Michael Mann,Joel Schumacher,Tony Scott,Zack Snyder,[5]Roger Spottiswoode, andJohn Woo were all approached to direct the film beforeClark Johnson signed on. They passed because they were all busy with other projects.Oliver Stone was also involved as a producer at one point.
Following the box office success ofThe Fast and the Furious (2001),Neal H. Moritz was hired to produce the project.
Mark Wahlberg was the first choice for the role of Jim Street, but turned it down in favor of portraying the lead role inThe Italian Job.Paul Walker was originally cast and had even started training for the part, but had to drop out due to filming on2 Fast 2 Furious.[6]Colin Farrell eventually replaced him in July 2002.[7]Vin Diesel was offered to portray Deacon "Deke" Kaye, but passed because he was in production withThe Chronicles of Riddick andLL Cool J was then cast in September 2002.[8] At one point during the early stages of development,Arnold Schwarzenegger was considered for the role of Dan "Hondo" Harrelson, but he declined andSamuel L. Jackson took the part.[citation needed]
Jeremy Renner was cast as Brian Gamble following his performance inDahmer.[citation needed] He was originally offered a role inThe Big Bounce, but Renner turned it down.[citation needed]
Filming took place on location inLos Angeles. The bank robbery in the film's opening was choreographed to closely resemble theNorth Hollywood shootout of 1997. It was filmed at an abandoned building at the corner Workman St and N Broadway inLincoln Heights.[9] The unit's training scenes were filmed at the city's historicAmbassador Hotel; the building was demolished in 2006.[10][11] The film's climax was shot on the formerSixth Street Viaduct,[12] once one of Hollywood's most popular bridges for location filming.[13]
Elliot Goldenthal composed the soundtrack.[14]
S.W.A.T. saw a nationwide release in North America playing in 3,202 theaters, on the weekend of August 8, 2003.[15][2]
The film was released in Japan in the weekend of September 27, 2003, and United Kingdom, in the weekend of December 4, 2003.
The film was released on aSpecial EditionDVD, in both Widescreen (2.39:1) & Full Screen (1.33:1) formats, on December 30, 2003, and onBlu-ray Disc on September 19, 2006.[16]
S.W.A.T. earned $13,584,444 on its opening day at the box office (August 8).[17] The film grossed over $37,062,535 on its opening weekend in 3,202 theaters (with a $11,574 average per theatre), ranking at #1 and beating out fellow new releaseFreaky Friday ($22,203,007).[2] It fell to #2 on its second and third week behindFreddy vs. Jason earning $18,122,486 and $10,581,327 respectively.[18][19]
The biggest market in other territories were Japan, United Kingdom, Spain and Germany, where the film grossed $16.9 million, $9.7 million, $7.1 million, $6.47 million respectively.[20]S.W.A.T. ended its box office run on December 11, 2003, grossing $116,934,650 in North America and $90,790,989 in other territories, resulting in a worldwide gross of $207,725,639,[2] making it the 22nd highest grossing film of 2003.[21]
The film received mixed reviews from critics. OnRotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 48%, based on 168 reviews, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The site's consensus reads, "A competent, but routine police thriller."[22] OnMetacritic, the film has a score of 45 out of 100, based on 35 critics, indicating "Mixed or average reviews".[23] Audiences surveyed byCinemaScore gave the film a grade B+ on a scale of A to F.[24]
Film criticRoger Ebert of theChicago Sun-Times gaveS.W.A.T. a favorable rating of three stars, as well as a thumbs up onAt the Movies. He complimented the characters, dialogue, and the action sequences, which he found believable.[25]
| List of awards and nominations[26] | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Award / Film Festival | Category | Recipient(s) | Result |
| BET Awards | Best Actor | Samuel L. Jackson | Nominated |
| Black Reel Awards[27] | Best Film | S.W.A.T. | Nominated |
| California on Location Awards | Location Professional of the Year - Features | Mark Benton Johnson (Shared withHoles) | Won |
| Irish Film & Television Academy | Best Actor in a Lead Role – Film (Jury Award) | Colin Farrell | Nominated |
| MTV Movie Awards Mexico | Best Colin Farrell in a Movie | S.W.A.T. | Won |
A direct-to-video film titledS.W.A.T.: Firefight came out in 2011. None of the main actors reprised their roles.[28] A second direct-to-video movie titledS.W.A.T.: Under Siege came out in 2017.
In February 2017,CBS ordered a pilot based on the movie withJustin Lin,Shawn Ryan, and Moritz as producers.[29]Stephanie Sigman,Shemar Moore, andJay Harrington were reported to star in the series. Justin Lin was announced to be directing the pilot.[30][31][32]
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