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SYNOPSIS:
An expert in anti-terrorism tactics, hotshot LAPD officer Paul Cutler (GABRIEL MACHT, Behind Enemy Lines) is ordered to Detroit to train its S.W.A.T team in the latest hostage rescue techniques. But everything changes when their botched response to a domestic dispute ends with a hostage down and a government assassin (ROBERT PATRICK, Terminator 2) now obsessed with terminating Cutler as well as his entire S.W.A.T. team.
MOVIE
REVIEW:
Another direct-to-video in-name only sequel, SWAT Firefight has none of the actors, characters, and for that matter, plot relation to the earlier movie. It does though share some of the traits- good and bad- of its predecessor, so like the Colin Farrell-Samuel L. Jackson movie, this is one glossy action thriller that entertains while it lasts, but is ultimately as superficial as it looks.
Working with a significantly lowered budget (the original came in at around US$80m), director Benny Boom, together with screenwriter Reed Steiner, weaves a story much smaller in scope. The lead character here is one Lt. Paul Cutler (Gabriel Macht), who is assigned to a Detriot S.W.A.T. team to teach them the latest terrorism hostage rescue techniques. He doesn’t want to be there, clashes egos with the local police chief and team leader, and gets a chance at romance with the police psychologist.
Each of Steiner’s characters is no more than stock-types, so neither Cutler or for that matter anyone in the team will arouse your interest. But just so you’ll get an action-packed climax, Cutler will also cross paths with a vengeful ex-government agent (Robert Patrick) during a botched hostage rescue attempt, who subsequently vows to take out Cutler and the rest of the Detroit team. Well, that’s one excuse for the men to put aside their mutual differences.
Boom keeps the pace of Steiner’s ho-hum script brisk, and at least for a while, you’ll won’t notice the flaws and shallowness of the plotting. But despite his best efforts, Boom can’t quite muster enough to sustain your attention throughout, especially since the stakes here are much lower. It doesn’t help that none of the cast here are particularly outstanding (veteran Robert Patrick can by now play a villain with his eyes closed), and Gabriel Macht reveals himself to be as bland a lead performer as he was in the Frank Miller dud “The Spirit”.
Slightly ingratiating too is Boom’s tendency to adopt a first-person perspective whenever the team is in action- training or in the field- such that the ensuing scenes play out very much like a video-game. These amount to naught, and whether is it due to budget constraints or a simple lack of imagination, the former music-video director doesn’t quite come up with enough flashy theatrics like the previous’ Clark Johnson to keep you distracted.
Eight years is a long time to wait for a sequel, though technically the studio has merely invoked the brand name of the S. W.A.T. franchise in hopes of enticing fans of the TV series or the original movie to check this out. They would probably be disappointed once they do the inevitable comparisons, and really Firefight is no more than a passable action thriller that doesn’t demand much of itself or its audience. Good for a watch on a lazy Saturday afternoon, since you’ll probably forget it as soon as it’s over.
SPECIAL FEATURES :
Just one featurette Sharp Shooting: On the Set that goes behind the scenes to see the training that the cast went through to make sure that their actions and motions were realistic. Benny Boom does share an interesting fact of how he managed to get the participation of actual Detroit S.W.A.T. team members.
AUDIO/VISUAL:
The Dolby Digital 5.1 complements the movie with a robust surround sound experience using the whizzing and ricocheting of bullets, as well as the bombastic explosions from time to time. Visuals are clean, crisp and sharp, though certain scenes bear the mark of Don Davis’ grittier cinematography.
MOVIE RATING:
 
DVD
RATING :
Review
by Gabriel Chong
Posted on 7 April 2011
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