S.W.A.T. (film)

The Los Angeles Police Department SWAT team, including officers Jim Street and his partner Brian Gamble, infiltrate a bank taken hostage by robbers. Gamble disobeys orders and engages the robbers, wounding a hostage. He and Street subdue the criminals, but are taken off SWAT by Captain Fuller, commanding officer of the LAPD Metropolitan Division. Fuller offers Street the chance to rejoin the team by implicating Gamble, but he refuses and is demoted to working police inventory in the "gun cage", while Gamble quits the force and ends their friendship.

Six months later, the chief of police calls on Sergeant Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson, a Marine Force Recon veteran, to reorganize SWAT. Hondo takes an interest in Street, a former U.S. Navy SEAL, and recruits him and fellow officers TJ McCabe, Michael Boxer, Deacon Kaye, and Chris Sanchez to his new team, despite Fuller's protests. They bond as they train together and pass their final exercise, a simulated airliner hijacking; celebrating afterward, Street has a hostile run-in with Gamble. The team succeeds in their first real mission, subduing an unstable gunman by using a wall-breaching battering ram designed by Street.

French drug lord Alexander Montel arrives in Los Angeles and kills his uncle for embezzlement, after assuming control of his family's criminal empire by having killed his father. Driving to the airport, he is pulled over by police for a broken tail light, and detained due to discrepancies with his false I.D.; authorities determine that he is an international fugitive and is wanted in dozen‘s of countries. Montel's associates, disguised as LAPD officers, attempt to rescue him as he is being transferred to prison, killing two Sheriff's deputies. Hondo's team arrives in time to kill the gunmen and recapture Montel. Escorted past reporters, Montel announces to the cameras that he will "give 100 million dollars to whoever gets [him] out of here", drawing the attention of criminals across the city.

The LAPD prepare to transfer Montel into federal custody by air, but Gamble shoots down the helicopter with a high-powered rifle. The police send out a large convoy, which is ambushed by gang members but discovered to be a decoy for Hondo's team, who transport Montel in two SUVs. McCabe is revealed to be in league with Gamble, who critically wounds Boxer and escapes with Montel and McCabe to the subway. Pursued by SWAT, Gamble and his men hijack a subway car and flee through the sewers. The officers avoid a Claymore mine set by Gamble, and use it to blow open the tunnel's locked exit. Fuller sends all available units to Hawthorne Airport to prevent Montel escaping by plane.

Hondo's team commandeers a limousine to reach the airport, but realize that Gamble has seized a private plane which will land on the Sixth Street Bridge to fly the criminals out of the country. Preparing to take off, the plane is intercepted by the SWAT team. Gamble's men are killed, Sanchez is wounded while Kaye arrests Montel, and Hondo confronts McCabe, who commits suicide. Street pursues Gamble to the railyard under the bridge, where they fight hand-to-hand until Gamble is knocked under a passing train and killed. Fuller and the rest of the LAPD arrive, and Hondo's team deliver Montel to federal prison. Driving home to Los Angeles, they receive a report of an armed robbery in progress to which Hondo remarks that they've been off duty for 12 hours but when Street says "So?", Hondo cocks his weapon.

Original series actors Steve Forrest and Rod Perry have cameo appearances; Forrest drives the team's van, while Perry appears as Kay's father.[2]

Reed Diamond has a cameo as Officer David Burress. Diamond and director Clark Johnson appeared together on Homicide: Life on the Street for three seasons (in two of which their characters were partners). Johnson himself has a cameo as "Deke's Handsome Partner," who gets hit with a pan while Deke chases a suspect.

Michael Bay, Rob Cohen, Antoine Fuqua, Michael Mann, Joel Schumacher, Tony Scott, Zack Snyder, Roger Spottiswoode, and John Woo were all approached to direct the film before Clark Johnson signed on. They passed because they were all busy with other projects.

Mark Wahlberg was the first choice for the role of Jim Street, but turned it down in favor of portraying lead role in The Italian Job. Paul Walker was originally cast and had even started training for the part, but had to drop out due to filming on 2 Fast 2 Furious. Colin Farrell eventually replaced him. Vin Diesel was offered to portray Deacon "Deke" Kaye, but passed because he was in production with The Chronicles of Riddick and LL Cool J was then cast. At one point during the early stages of development, Arnold Schwarzenegger was considered for the role of Dan "Hondo" Harrelson, but he declined and Samuel L. Jackson took the part.

The bank robbery in the film's opening was choreographed to closely resemble the North Hollywood shootout of 1997.

Elliot Goldenthal composed the soundtrack.[3]

S.W.A.T. saw a nationwide release in North America playing in 3,202 theaters, on the weekend of August 8, 2003.[4][5]

The film was released in Japan in the weekend of 27 September 2003 and United Kingdom, in the weekend of December 5, 2003.

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