SWAT: Firefight

Introduction

Back in 2003, Colin Farrell starred with Samuel L.Jackson, Michelle Rodriguez and LL Cool J in a film remake of the old TV series SWAT. SWAT is the rapid response team of the Police with it's initials standing for Special Weapons and Tactics, the SWAT teams supposedly are the equivalent of soldiers trained as policemen, doing all the dangerous stuff like breaching buildings during hostage sieges. That film wasn't that spectacular, but 8 years later the decision has been made to revisit the title - although without any of the previous actors.

SWAT: Firefight features LAPD SWAT officer Paul Cutler (Gabriel Macht), an expert in anti-terrorism tactics who is requested to go on detached duty to Detroit to certify their SWAT team according to the FBI's latest certification regulations. This involves taking command of the team and teaching them whilst on the job, something that initially doesn't go down too well with either the team or their Captain. Cutler, however, wins the day and starts to train his new team.

Then it all starts to go wrong. A hostage negotiation is botched and the hostage, Rose, ends up dead, although in fairness she actually kills herself when the SWAT team arrest stalker Walter (Robert Patrick) instead of killing him. Not that this is of any comfort to Cutler, who was proud of his record of never losing a hostage. What is of comfort to Cutler is his growing relationship with the Assistant DA (Kristanna Loken).

Turns out though that Walter is an insidious Government assassin who blames Cutler and his team for Rose's death. So begins a game of cat and mouse between Cutler and his obsessed opponent.

**NOTE**  This film is boxed with the original SWAT film mentioned in the intro...

Extras

Sharp Shooting: On The Set - standard making of, nothing special and as per usual everyone is looking to make a different type of film but bizarrely they all end up making similar fare to that which has gone before...

Overall

I never liked the original SWAT film. I like the concept but rather than follow what these teams actually do (which could be quite interesting), the need to create excitement means that the concept of what the service provided by these teams is pushed out of the way in favour of standard action fare. The follow-up film is no exception.

I don't really want to say too much about this. I got bored quite quickly, almost as bored as Robert Patrick looked as the Government assassin who is so good he can't beat a team of public servants - even if they are SWAT. Gabriel Macht is an actor I've never heard of and don't anticipate seeing him in anything that great in the near future. The story is pedestrian and cliche ridden, it's obvious what's going to happen long before it does and then when it does occur, it's not that exciting.

Avoid if you can.