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S.W.A.T.

2003

METASCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 35 Critic Reviews

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45

USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 173 Ratings

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7.9

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7.9	Your Score
7.9	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 173 Ratings

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S.W.A.T.

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S.W.A.T.

Movie Details & Credits

Columbia Pictures | Release Date: August 8, 2003 | PG-13

Starring: Colin Farrell, LL Cool J, Michelle Rodriguez, Olivier Martinez, Samuel L. Jackson

Summary: Based on the 70's television series of the same name, this film focuses on the Los Angeles Police Department's S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons and Tactics) unit.

Director: Clark Johnson

Genre(s): Action, Thriller, Crime

Rating: PG-13

Runtime: 117 min

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Metascore

Critic Reviews

80

Film Threat

Kevin Carr

One of those guilty pleasures of the summer. It’s also one of those action movies that could have been ruined if Jerry Bruckheimer had taken charge of it. Read full review

75

Entertainment Weekly

Lisa Schwarzbaum

Aware of its own cuteness because the dialogue plays by the rules of meta-entertainment. Read full review

63

Charlotte Observer

Lawrence Toppman

The strongest parts of the film aren't these money shots, but the buildup to the gunplay. Read full review

50

Rolling Stone

Peter Travers

What we have here is a model for the paint-by-numbers, perfectly generic, proudly soulless summer action flick. An original idea would die for lack of oxygen in S.W.A.T. Read full review

50

USA Today

Mike Clark

By the time you've given up guessing whether S.W.A.T. wants to be a half-serious action pic or just affably jokey, its storytelling has turned so ludicrously melodramatic that it doesn't matter. Read full review

40

The New York Times

A.O. Scott

Mostly standard-issue muddle. Read full review

10

Wall Street Journal

Joe Morgenstern

Looks like the deformed spawn of a development process gone awry.

SEE ALL 35 REVIEWS

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User Reviews

9

ourtimehascome

Nov 2, 2017

S.W.A.T. is underappreciated, not because of its solid acting, or worthwhile action, but for its tongue-in-cheek dialogue and realistic sequences. It manages to be exciting and fast-paced while engaging in a commentary on the aspects of police work in society.

1 of 1 users found this helpful10

8

Depose570

May 16, 2021

》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》》..............................$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

8

Pluto744

Jun 22, 2021

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0 of 0 users found this helpful00

7

Bruce722

Dec 21, 2012

S.W.A.T. is a good movie but the lack of character development for anyone other than the protagonist (and even this was minimal) made you not really care too much for the outcome. That wasn't the worst part of the film though. By far the worst part of this movie was the mediocre dialogue.S.W.A.T. is a good movie but the lack of character development for anyone other than the protagonist (and even this was minimal) made you not really care too much for the outcome. That wasn't the worst part of the film though. By far the worst part of this movie was the mediocre dialogue. It's almost like the writers decided to throw as many corny, cheese-ball quips as possible. Not only was this annoying but it made the characters feel fake. It was still entertaining but it's not a great movie at all.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

5

Official

Mar 8, 2014

If you just wanna see stuff getting blown up and gunfire action, you've found a perfect movie. If you wanna see a movie with real character development combined with intense action, you might want to look somewhere else.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

4

diogomendes

Aug 4, 2014

Before I make up my own review of the other cop film starring Samuel L. Jackson (yeah the terrible one), I'll give my thoughts on this police thriller. Unfortunately, this is a bland, forgettable and inane movie that must be seriously thought before watching it.

The story should captivateBefore I make up my own review of the other cop film starring Samuel L. Jackson (yeah the terrible one), I'll give my thoughts on this police thriller. Unfortunately, this is a bland, forgettable and inane movie that must be seriously thought before watching it.

The story should captivate more. Jim Street and his fellows mates are sent to stop a gang of robbers who have taken over a bank. His hot-tempered friend Gamble disobeys an order to not shoot in the bank robbers and accidentally wounds a hostage, causing him an expulsion on S.W.A.T team. While Jim decides to stay in order to work in the "gun cage", Gamble turns against his once close friend and all of sudden, becomes the antagonist of the film. However, his screen time is not that much and his motivations are poorly executed. Clearly, the character development is not the strong point of this movie.

However, the cast and acting are surprisingly good. Jackson and Ferrell give magnificent performances and believable dialogue. But the rest of the film is just a colossal bore until the final act which is provided by the return of the friend Gamble. His bloated screen time and uninteresting story prevents him from being a remarkable opponent for Jim, such a shame. He's more annoying than amusing but I guess that's part of the movie's charm. The director and his team could have put a lot of effort in the final battle but they decided instead using boring gunshots and underwhelming crashes, can't get what you always want right?

In conclusion, this movie has no charisma or depth. It's a two hours long of poor character development, dull story and loud soundtrack. It's heavily bad even for today's standards.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

2

AnsonG.

Jul 27, 2006

Very poor movie. It was too long to start the real action at the end. The previous chapter was nothing, absolute awful. I was bored of the major action scenes. i would rather take a nap for an hours and watch other action. S.W.A.T is rental.

0 of 0 users found this helpful

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Awards & Rankings

73	#73 Most Discussed Movie of 2003
39	#39 Most Shared Movie of 2003

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