S.W.A.T.: Firefight (2011)

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

A young hotshot is sent to Detroit where he takes charge of a SWAT team in order to certify them. No sooner is he there than a botched hostage negotiation sets deranged stalker Walter Hatch (Robert Patrick) up to have a mad-on for him.Truth be told, the first SWAT film didn't do much for me, however that film had a few things going for it that this didn't, first most no one will mistake Gabriel Macht as an action hero anytime soon. He lacks the presence. It fact this film was pretty badly miscast all the way around. The banter between admittedly fairly well-done action sequences was atrocious and Robert Patrick, whom I usually enjoy watching, was utterly wasted in this drek.

I'm a big fan of the original S.W.A.T. movie. It takes excitement to the next level. This unrelated sequel is a surprisingly competent, and well formed movie. It could just about stretch into theaters, but a quiet DVD release was probably best. The movie takes SWAT up against some stalker boyfriend. Not much of a threat, but as the movie progresses, we get some twists and turns which escalate it into true movie territory. A real film about SWAT life would be great, but these action ones are simple guilty entertainment. Macht is a decent lead, and shouldn't be relegated to such movies for life. Sure, The Spirit was painful to watch, listen to, and think about, but he isn't completely to blame. Patrick is always a decent villain, even if he does look a bit out of shape for some of his stunts.

OK, let me first say that this is my first ever review - I was compelled to write one based on simply how BAD this movie is. The only reason I didn't give it a 1 is because I have seen worse. Another reason I felt angry enough to write a review is because I normally like these kind of movies. Normally all you have to do is include something like SWAT, SAS or Marines in the description of the movie and point me towards it and I will lap it up. Unfortunately however, SWAT: Firefight only succeeded for me in one regard - it has SWAT in its title. The story is just weak, really weak. Just when you feel it is about to get going, it literally ends. Its cliché to an extreme and about as predictable a movie I have ever seen. I wont go on but to summarize, this is just a bad movie. If you want some decent SWAT like viewing entertainment, I recommend Flashpoint (Canadian TV Series) or possibly watching paint dry could also be considered a viable alternative.

I'm convinced this movie is aimed at kids in the early teens. I mean this movie is stuffed with things that makes you go "What the f...!?".Just take the start of the movie for instance. It begins with two baddies crashing a random rich kid's party. They're demanding their money and threaten to kill everybody if they don't get it right now. In comes the SWAT. But behold suddenly that rich kid is on his own having a machine gun and shoots out a surveillance cam. WTF!? Later on the best shooter in the team gets pulled from being a sniper. For what? Not being able to hit a target with a pistol in the wrong hand? WTF!? A hostage is so scared of a villain she takes her own life. WTF!? And it continues like that for 90 minutes. So if you like action movies with tons of shootouts, loud bangs and don't mind plot holes or people behaving strangely you'll love this film. But if you expect anything more from a movie then this clearly ain't for you.