6.2 | / 10 |
Users | 4.0 | |
Reviewer | 2.5 | |
Overall | 3.1 |
Transferred to Detroit to put a local SWAT team through a training regimen, LAPD Lieutenant Paul Cutler finds himself the target of a homicidal genius who is protected by government officials.
Starring: Gabriel Macht, Giancarlo Esposito, Kristanna Loken, Carly Pope, Robert PatrickAction | 100% |
Thriller | 45% |
Crime | 28% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
French: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English, English SDH, French, Spanish
25GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
BD-Live
Region A, B (C untested)
Movie | 2.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 2.5 |
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.
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.
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 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 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.
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