Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

S.W.A.T. Firefight Blu-ray Movie Review

Don't swat this DTV release aside without giving it a fair chance.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman February 17, 2011

Defeat the enemy any way you can.

There may be plenty of "weapons" and various "tactics," but "special" S.W.A.T. Firefight is not. Nevertheless, it's not a bad film at all; it's a fair bit entertaining, actually, and maybe even a little better than it probably needs to be. Generally, when "Direct to Video" and "sequel" are used in the same sentence to describe a single movie, "trouble" usually fits somewhere into the equation, but not here. Low expectations and a fair movie produce a surprising result, a movie that might not have the pyrotechnic thrills or the name-brand cast of the original S.W.A.T. but it does have a little more spunk and doesn't feel quite as routine as its predecessor. It's not a better movie, just a different sort of movie, and this sequel's far more meager origins and lessened expectations actually bring it up to par with the original, even if it lacks the same level of big-budget summer popcorn polish.

Tacti-cool.

L.A.P.D. S.W.A.T. hotshot Lt. Paul Cutler (Gabriel Macht, Behind Enemy Lines) has been given orders straight from Homeland Security to temporarily relocate to Detroit to certify that city's A-team S.W.A.T. officers in terrorist preparedness and hostage rescue. He meets his five-man team, a cocky bunch that knows its stuff but that lacks discipline. Smoking, heavy drinking, and junk food are out, and rigorous training of the highest and most demanding standards are in. Cutler manages to finagle a field command of the men and leads them into several difficult hostage rescue training scenarios and live-fire, real-life events alike. A routine mission goes bad when Cutler and his team attempt to take down an armed man named Walter Hatch (Robert Patrick, Terminator 2: Judgment Day). Hatch's wife (Kristanna Loken, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) is killed in the confrontation, and he manages to secure his freedom. Cutler and team believe the situation to be over, but Hatch devises a plan to get revenge on Cutler and his team of elite Special Weapons and Tactics officers, no matter the personal cost.

It's pretty standard stuff, but S.W.A.T. Firefight passes muster as a likable, albeit generic, Action picture. The low budget and absence of big-time talent is evident in every facet -- casting, set design, and quality of script among others -- but the film nevertheless finds a solid enough footing and proves its worth as a picture that might be substandard almost everywhere but where it counts the most: down at the nitty-gritty base level where whether or not the movie works as raw entertainment, despite all its stylistic shortcomings, monetary limitations, and audience misgivings. S.W.A.T. Firefight is indeed entertaining when it comes right down to it. The action is suitably slick and the story moves along nicely, even tossing in a few little surprises in the last few minutes. The characters are fairly flat and the villain never comes across as the least bit menacing, but characterization is always pretty far down the list in a movie like this. The film is limited by its very nature: limited budget, limited audience, limited advertising. It's certainly not worthy of anything other than a direct-to-video release, but with a movie like this, it's all about the context. As a big Summer extravaganza? This thing is an epic failure. Considered on its own merits and up against similarly-restrained films? It's not too bad at all.

Director Benny Boom gives S.W.A.T. Firefight a shaky, zippy, fast-moving feel that's tied directly to the energy level the film exudes. When Boom's camera is free to roam and the film is captured handheld-style, the picture enjoys a burst of energy, thanks also in part to the general accompaniment of action or action-like scenes. When the camera slows down, so too does the movie. The film's ebb-and-flow, then, is hit-or-miss, but it's generally "hit." Things never slow down to a crawl, there's very little in the way of superfluous scenes, and while character development is kept to a minimum, the action is kept going with a fair bit of speed and purpose, whether in "real-life" hostage negotiations, general S.W.A.T. team tactical action, or training exercises that do a fair job of filling in for live-fire excitement. S.W.A.T. Firefight's cast gives the movie the attention to detail it deserves. There are no award-winning performances and the actors don't do anything beyond what the material calls for, but Gabriel Macht and crew do a decent enough job of replicating the actions of a real-life S.W.A.T. team, at least coming from the perspective of someone who's never been a S.W.A.T. team member or had the privilege of seeing the real deal in action. The cast is rounded out by two former Terminators -- Patrick and Loken -- the former of whom, unfortunately, doesn't have the screen time fans are probably hoping for.

S.W.A.T. Firefight Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

S.W.A.T. Firefight arrives on Blu-ray with a flawed but generally satisfying 1080p, 1.78:1-framed transfer. Digitally shot, Benny Boom's picture features a bit of noise, intermediate banding, and a fair amount shimmering, the latter usually only seen in some of the film's shaky first-person visuals that generally have a camera placed along the top of a rifle, maybe even a Picatinny-rail-mounted compact camera given the lesser quality of the footage. Otherwise, the transfer is fairly solid. Detail ranges from good-to-great but never reaches the upper echelon of "spectacular." Facial detail is generally strong, and the image enjoys a readily-evident crispness afforded to it by the 1080p resolution. Colors are steady and lively and blacks are generally accurate, but flesh tones occasionally stray towards a slightly pale-gray tone. The transfer is no better and no worse than one should reasonably expect of a 2011 DTV release; it beats standard-definition material hands-down, but it lacks the precision and perfection of the finest film and occasionally even video transfers.

S.W.A.T. Firefight Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Sony brings the direct-to-video S.W.A.T. Firefight to Blu-ray with a proficient and engaging DTS-HD MA 5.1 lossless soundtrack. Dialogue is crisp and accurate as it emanates from the center channel, but the spoken word is the least of this track's concerns. It's all about the music and violence, both of which this track produces with no shortage of vigor. Music is kicking; it's big and powerful and amazingly crisp as it flows from every channel, backs included, to deliver an immersive listen. The track also features excellent spacing and imaging; sound effects sometimes play from the side or back channels with a startling realsim, whether something as inconsequential as a doorbell ringing off to the side or something more potent, like gunfire spraying from all directions. It's that gunplay that really makes the track kick; bullets whiz across and through the listening area with ease and power and plenty of volume, and that explosion that's a result of firing pin slamming into primer really gets the track's juices flowing and energy kicking. Bass could be a little more pronounced and ambience seemed like an afterthought in the sound design process, but this is a rip-roaring good time of a soundtrack that should satisfy Blu-ray Action movie fans.

S.W.A.T. Firefight Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

S.W.A.T. Firefight contains only the making-of featurette Sharp Shooting: On the Set (1080p, 8:43), previews for additional Sony titles, and BD-Live functionality.

S.W.A.T. Firefight Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

S.W.A.T. Firefight exceeds expectations, but considering how low they are going in -- a late-to-the-party DTV sequel to an already decidedly average Action movie -- Benny Boom's picture plays as a bit better than it probably would if viewed inside a vacuum. Still, it's passably entertaining at a base level; the plot is dumbed down and the characters are bland, but the action is crisp and Director Benny Boom's handiwork is efficient. S.W.A.T. Firefight isn't a game-changer and it's not even the best DTV Action movie of recent vintage -- that title still belongs to Universal Soldier: Regeneration -- but it's a good effort that should satisfy Action fans looking for a little mindless fun in the new release section of the video store. Sony's Blu-ray release of S.W.A.T. Firefight offers decent video and rock-solid audio. Supplements are kept to a minimum as is to be expected of a movie of this sort. Worth a rental.