S.W.A.T.

S.W.A.T. is a decent action film which, admittedly, takes a while to get going, but there is plenty of bang for your buck once the main conflict gets under way. By then, however, we are an hour into the running time.

Young Jim Street is part of the elite police unit S.W.A.T. (Special Weapons And Tactics) in Los Angeles, but he is dropped from the team when he and his somewhat unruly partner Brian Gamble go it alone during a hostage operation. Gamble leaves the force in disappointment, while Street tries to win back his place on the team. He gets his chance again when the veteran Hondo is given carte blanche to put together a team of his own choosing.

Hondo's group has barely finished training before they meet their match in the shape of the international criminal Alex Montel, who has offered a reward of 100 million dollars to whoever frees him. Hondo's team is given the task of transferring Montel to a maximum-security prison, but there are many who would like to get their hands on the big money.

S.W.A.T. is actually inspired by an old American TV series, but the team behind the film has wisely refrained from referring to a series that few of us have ever come across. On the other hand, it panders heavily to a very young audience with its pumped-up soundtrack and frantically hectic editing. On the plus side there are a few witty moments, mostly in the company of Samuel L. Jackson, who by now must have become rather familiar with the role of the super-cool cop.