6.1 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.7 |
Jim Street is a former S.W.A.T. team member, who along with his partner Brian Gamble, is thrown off the team in the aftermath of a controversial decision they made during a robbery/hostage standoff. Gamble quits the force in disgust, but for Street, being a policeman is his life and he agrees to a demotion, hoping to someday have the chance to redeem himself and once again wear the privileged S.W.A.T. uniform. He gets that chance when team commander Dan "Hondo" Harrelson is assigned to recruit and train five top-notch officers for a new Special Weapons and Tactics unit. After weeks of rigorous physical training, the new team is immediately thrown into action when a notorious drug lord, offers a $100 million bounty to anyone who can free him from police custody. As they escort the kingpin out of Los Angeles into the hands of the Feds, the S.W.A.T. team is pursued by a ruthless and well-armed band of mercenaries.
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J, Josh CharlesAction | 100% |
Thriller | 72% |
Crime | 41% |
Video codec: MPEG-2
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.40:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: LPCM 5.1 (48kHz, 16-bit)
English: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: Dolby Digital 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Portuguese, Spanish, Cantonese, Korean, Thai
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region free
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.5 | |
Extras | 1.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
You’re either S.W.A.T. or you’re not.
Here we go again, another 1970s television series turned 21st century motion picture, updated
with all the bells, whistles, buff bodies, and appropriate diversification of its stars to make sure an
otherwise mediocre action picture will draw as many patrons to theaters as possible. Sadly, I was
one of those many patrons, choosing to see this film theatrically at the time rather than the
vastly
smarter and superior
Seabiscuit. S.W.A.T. isn't a terrible film, it's just generic, depending on
admittedly
exciting action sequences and buff bodies attached to "pretty faces" to sell
tickets rather than relying on an interesting story, well-developed characters, smart direction, or
any number of criteria necessary when creating a successful movie. I'm all for dumb action, but
sometimes
the
concept just doesn't work. S.W.A.T. is loud and slick enough to hold an action
junkie's interest for a viewing every few years, an interval long enough to forget just how
mediocre
the
movie is.
Even the cast seems to be bored by the film's middle act.
Presented in 2.40:1 widescreen, this early high-definition release from Sony provides a decent enough image, but certainly not one to wow Blu-ray audiences by today's standards. There are many scenes throughout the movie that clearly demonstrate the superiority of Blu-ray and 1080p, and others that simply get the job done, displaying the image but without any flair or eye-popping brilliance. Much of the movie has a blue tint to it, especially early on, a tint that blends in well with the S.W.A.T. colors, from the blue of their body armor to the blue of their vehicles. Flesh tones appeared natural and clean. Black levels are fantastic, appearing rich and very dark, a natural and deep black, but heavy grain fields often accompany the darkest of scenes. Although many images are crisp and sharp, many others appear overly soft and dull, the result a flat, one-dimensional look that lacks crispness and fine detail, and this seems most apparent in low-lit sequences. A dinner scene in chapter six, for example, exhibits all of the symptoms, the poor lighting of the scene resulting in an image that fails to provide clarity and fine detail but does show very soft edges and is generally dull and lifeless. Likewise, a subsequent scene of the S.W.A.T. members in a training facility classroom sports much the same look and feel. Several scenes are so dark, in fact (especially some near the end of the movie), that I could not help but be reminded of the look of Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, the difference being that that release offered incredible detail and depth even in the darkest of scenes. Action taking place in broad daylight fares the best in S.W.A.T., but the remainder of the image is definitely lacking. A fair transfer, this one seems like it could have been much better, but for an early Blu-ray release on a 25GB disc and encoded in MPEG-2, this one looks about as good as one could expect.
S.W.A.T. explodes onto Blu-ray with a fantastic PCM 5.1 uncompressed sound mix, one that is active and very well designed. There is nothing quite like a well-mixed shootout scene, and we've got one right off the bat. From the very beginning of the movie, the listener is treated to a barrage of activity as the police and S.W.A.T. team takes on a few heavily-armed thugs with automatic weapons. Gunfire reverberates with thumps from the subwoofer, and shell casings hit the ground with a loud, clear clank. Sounds are placed in speakers so well that we feel like part of the action as gunshots hit us from all around. Not only is imaging excellent, but so are pans. We clearly hear movement from one speaker to the next, and it's natural and clear, not forced, phony, and distracting. A scene where the team is sniping at playing cards features some terrific use of sound as bullets whiz past our heads and impact into the rear of the listening area, a fun experience in film but one that would definitely prove frightening in real life. Just as wonderful as the sound can be, it can also turn dull and quiet on a dime. Immediately after the training scenario involving terrorists on a plane, the music goes from a pulse-pounding, dance house beat to a very quiet celebration music, sounding almost like the volume had been turned way down on my receiver. Other nuances are rendered just fine, such as dialogue reproduction and minor discreet sound effects and ambience. While not the very best mix I've heard, this one truly shows the benefit of having a full-blown surround system, and the lossless audio really lets it stretch its legs and run, showing just what a well-planned mix can do to add a whole other dimension to the movie watching experience.
Sony has skimped on the extras for this Blu-ray release of S.W.A.T.. Unlike the DVD version which contained two commentary tracks, deleted scenes, and four featurettes amongst others, only the deleted scenes are ported over here, oddly enough, perhaps due to the movie being presented on a 25GB disc rather than a 50GB. The scenes are rather short, averaging only thirty seconds or so, and are presented in 480p standard definition. 1080p trailers for Stealth, Underworld: Evolution, and xXx are the only other extras on the disc.
There is just enough excitement to make the experience of screening S.W.A.T. a decent one, but there are far better ways to spend two hours of your Saturday action movie marathons. Perhaps the movie's biggest drawback is its pacing. The opening action sequence and the final 40 minutes or so of the movie prove most entertaining, but the middle hour seems to drag, something I noticed both the first time I saw this film theatrically and now again on Blu-ray. Trimming it down to about 100 minutes might improve the film greatly, because what's here is certainly entertaining enough if only the pace in the middle act of the film could live up to that in the first and the third. This movie is definitely worth checking out, and if extras are of no concern to you this Blu-ray edition is the best way to see this movie. Offering slightly above average video quality and an awesome audio mix, S.W.A.T. makes for a mostly enjoyable high-definition experience. The lack of supplements may be enough to leave some viewers wanting to hang onto their DVD copies of this film, but those concerned only with audio and video qualities, especially those with the ability to hear lossless or uncompressed audio, will want to give this disc a spin. S.W.A.T. is a movie worth watching once, and I'd recommend renting this disc before making a decision to purchase.
2001
1990
2013
2007
2010
Special Edition
2008
2002
Extended Edition
2011
1997
2010
2018
1988
2017
1996
Fully Loaded Edition
2008
2005
2005
2010
1989
2011