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S.W.A.T PG-13 Action Released: 30-08-03 Director:Clark Johnson Cast: Samuel L Jackson (Lt. Dan "Hondo" Harrelson), Colin Farrell (Officer Jim Street), LL Cool J (Deke), Jeremy Renner (Brian "Poker" Gamble), Michelle Rodriguez (Chris Sanchez), Reg E. Cathey, Josh Charles (T.J.), James DuMont (Gus), Michael Ealy, Matt Gerald (Nick), Page Kennedy (Travis Shipley), Benjamin King, Olivier Martinez (Alex), Larry Poindexter, Ashley Scott, Richard Steinmetz, Shannon Sturges, Brian Van Holt (Boxer) My rating:2 1/2 Stars- ** 1/2

S.W.A.T

By Mark Paas

       One of the things that caught my attention during the first half-hour of this movie was that it seems to have captured a little more realism with regard to the lives of law enforcement agents. We start with a hostage sitiuation the goes awry when Officer Brian Gamble (Jeremy Renner) disobeys orders and enters the bank where the hostages are being held. They manage to control the situation but not before wounding a hostage. This forces Officer Jim Street (Colin Farell) to rat out his partner. His partner gets fired, and he gets demoted. So far so good.

Enter Lt.Dan "Hondo" Harrelson (Samuel L. Jackson), an old-school cop assigned to build a new SWAT team to restore the precinct's reputation. Street is given a second chance along with a few other hard-nosed cops, and the training begins."Hondo" leads the troop through training sessions which got me wanting to see them put their new skills to the test.

      But sadly this is where the movie loses steam. The rest of the film is spent trying to capture an international criminal who escaped from custody by offering $100 million to anyone who would help him.The action never lives up to it's potential, and the two most fearsome cops (Hondo, and Deke--played by LLCool J) never get a scratch on them, or inflict any real damage on anyone. The most exciting thing Deke ever does is lift up his shirt and show off his body at the bar, and all Hondo does is tell everyone how bad he is.

       The movie concludes with some over-the-top stunts that defy the laws of physics; loose ends get predictably tied up. A disappointing ending to an already average film.

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