When he selects the disgraced Street as part of the new elite team, Hondo makes a choice that tells us volumes about his character. “Hondo decides on Street,” says Farrell, “because he can see how hungry he is for a second chance. They’re alike in that way. Hondo was pushed out of S.W.A.T. by Fuller, so he’s essentially saying to Street ‘I’m getting a break, so I’m giving you one too.’”
Another reason Hondo chooses Street, according to Moritz, “is that he senses that Jim has good instincts. I think he sees in Street what people had seen in him when he first started out,” he says. “There is also a mutual respect they have for one another based on their pasts in the military.”
Hondo’s fifth and final candidate is Chris Sanchez (Michelle Rodriguez). She is the first woman to ever be chosen for S.W.A.T. in L.A. “In part, Hondo does it to piss off the captain,” laughs Rodriguez. “He recruits this kick-ass chick who has tried out for S.W.A.T. three times but has been passed over just because she’s a woman.”
Sanchez also happens to be a first-class policewoman bringing a unique dynamic to the new team. “She’s a tough, no-nonsense team player,” Rodriguez adds, “and Hondo senses her potential.”
Having assembled five different men and women with complementary skills, Hondo must now train them to think and act like a team. The S.W.A.T. training process is extremely demanding, but intended to mold them into a cohesive unit capable of thinking and acting like parts of a single organism.
To graduate through training, the team must conquer a near-impossible challenge: To safely deliver every hostage in a mock airliner hijacking. The team performs impressively and their success validates Hondo’s instincts and so impresses the top LAPD brass that the new S.W.A.T. team is immediately thrown into action when Alex Montel (Olivier Martinez), a French-born international mobster known as ‘Le Loup Rouge’ (The Red Wolf), attempts to escape police custody during what should have been a routine prisoner transport.
Though the plan is foiled, Alex’s next move is even more audacious. He announces to reporters that he will pay $100 million to anyone who can free him from custody. The bold pronouncement is broadcast throughout Los Angeles and, in the words of Martinez, “starts a little war among the city’s gangsters. Alex wreaks chaos and greatly complicates his deliverance into the hands of the Feds – which was exactly his plan.”
For Moritz, the $100 million bounty becomes a driving force in the film and broadens the scope of the action. “When I read about the reward in the script, my mind started racing, trying to imagine the effect that could have on a city, what havoc it could cause and how, from that, heroes would emerge to thwart those who were motivated by Alex’s offer.”
S.W.A.T.’s mission is complicated by the fact that one of the people attracted to the reward is Street’s embittered former partner Gamble. With insider knowledge of how S.W.A.T. teams function, Gamble immediately becomes a formidable adversary. Renner decided to play against the overt villainy of his character, envisioning Gamble as “not really a bad guy, just someone who’s misunderstood and misguided. He got a raw deal and then went out and made some bad choices.”
As with Street, S.W.A.T. was the center of Gamble’s life. Now that he’s out on his own, he’s lost. “He’s pretty much broke. He has nowhere to go and no prospects,” Renner continues. “But instead of trying to find a legitimate avenue for his unique training, he decides to use his S.W.A.T. skills to make a big score. He figures that, because he knows all the S.W.A.T. tactics, as well as the team’s mindset – particularly that of his old pal Street – he’ll always be one step ahead of them.”
In the ranks of S.W.A.T. there can be no greater betrayal than an officer crossing over into the netherworld of corruption and crime. Gamble raises the stakes, not only tactically but morally as well, giving rise to serious questions about honor and loyalty among the men and women in whom the community places its trust. “We had many conversations about the temptations cops sometimes face,” says Jackson, “and how easy it is to get away with some of them. But if you give in, you violate everything you’ve ever stood for as a person. And that makes you worse than the bad guys. You chose this life to keep the community safe. By turning your back on that you’re violating a sacred trust.”
Street and Hondo serve as counterpoints to Gamble embodying the morality and honor of a committed police officer. “Jim Street is no angel. He’s just a simple fella who really loves his job and believes in what he’s doing,” says Farrell. “In that way, he’s incorruptible and always has been, back to when he was first a Navy S.E.A.L. He’s not going to change now, because he’s not in it for the power of the gun or for the bravado. He’s in it for all the right reasons, mainly just to do a little bit of good.”
Similarly, Hondo’s sole mission is an unwavering dedication to his work and his team. “Hondo finds meaning and pride in his role on the force and by creating a new S.W.A.T. unit,” says Jackson. “They are truly a cut above. The best of the best.”
As the ruthless and brutal drug lord, Alex Montel is the complete antithesis of Hondo and Street. “Alex doesn’t believe in or care about anything,” says Martinez. “He is totally amoral, a man who is truly without conscience.”
Part of the continuing allure of police action films is the chance to get under the skin of a criminal, to glimpse into an alien world. They allow the audience an intimate look at the seamy side of society without becoming implicated in it. “Most of us are fascinated by how a crime scene is investigated, how the police figure out who the bad guy is, what his motives are and the tactics the police use to capture him,” says Jackson. “It’s a safe way for the audience to glimpse into this dark world and come away with an understanding of how it operates.”
There is also the vicarious thrill of identifying with the hero’s bravery and skill, according to James Todd Smith (LL Cool J). “We are entertained by characters who do things that require more courage and grit than the average person. We enjoy our heroes.”
The L.A.P.D.’s S.W.A.T. team was the originator of tactical teams for municipal law enforcement. After several sniping incidents against civilians and police officers around the country, many of which occurred in Los Angeles during and after the Watts Riots in the late 1960s, it was acknowledged that an adequate response to such situations did not exist. Consequently, voluntary units called station defense teams, consisting of officers with specialized experience and prior military service, were created.
S.W.A.T (Special Weapons And Tactics Team) was initiated in the late 1960s, and formalized in 1972 by the Los Angeles Police Department, in recognition of the need and advantage of collectively training a full-time unit within the Metropolitan Division.
Innovative for its time, the unit brought cohesion to the way police handled special tactical events. It has since become legendary among law enforcement agencies worldwide. At present, S.W.A.T. is an elite unit consisting of approximately 60 L.A.P.D. officers, six sergeants and one lieutenant, all of whom are expertly trained tactical assault specialists. The unit covers all 18 geographical areas, or divisions, of Los Angeles, a city that spans almost 500 square miles.
S.W.A.T., however, remained under-funded until the 1984 Olympic Committee became involved. Because the Olympic Games in Los Angeles was seen as a potential terrorist target, S.W.A.T. was infused with the necessary funding for the additional equipment and training required to provide adequate counter-terrorism protection. The Los Angeles Olympics went off without incident, but the funding and training initiated by the Games was a turning point for both the L.A.P.D. and S.W.A.T.
Following the success of the L.A.P.D.’s S.W.A.T. organization, other cities throughout the United States and the world have created similar units. Although not all of them are called S.W.A.T., and not all are under the auspices of a municipal police force (some are under federal or armed services jurisdiction), all share the same tactical objective.
As an elite unit, S.W.A.T. members are held up to rigorous physical and professional standards. Applicants are chosen from among those who have successfully made it onto the Metropolitan Division after a minimum of four years on the L.A.P.D. After one year at Metro, officers may apply to S.W.A.T., at which time they submit to an extremely demanding two-week trial process. Those who pass the tests are then put on a list from which the final candidates are selected. In any given year, about 50 officers apply. Only 8 to 10 make it into S.W.A.T.
Once they have been accepted, officers embark on an intensive seven-week training program. All S.W.A.T. members are cross-trained, but many also choose a specialty – e.g. snipers, long riflemen, etc. Some opt to train as negotiators. Currently, there are 18 S.W.A.T. officers who specialize in negotiation. Following their training, officers must wait for an opening before officially joining the team, though they are often invited to assist in tactical situations when extra manpower is required.
While some officers make a career of S.W.A.T. — the longest length of service has been 27 years — the average tenure on the unit is 8 to 12 years, after which most officers are promoted to other areas within the L.A.P.D.
In any given crisis situation, a minimum of 14 S.W.A.T. officers, one tactical sergeant and one negotiator sergeant are deployed. In addition to their tactical duties, S.W.A.T. also handles crisis negotiations with barricaded suspects. Many are also hostage situations. Notwithstanding the unit’s name and its members’ reputation as sharpshooters, the goal of any S.W.A.T. mission is to save lives. In handling approximately 80 barricaded suspect incidents and 50 high-risk warrants a year – more than 3,000 high-risk missions over the past three decades – LAPD’S S.W.A.T. team has, to this day, never lost a hostage.
Directed by: Clark Johnson
Starring: Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, Jeremy Renner, Olivier Martinez, Josh Charles, Page Kennedy
Screenplay by: David Ayer
Production Design by: Mayne Berke
Cinematography by: Gabriel Beristain
Film Editing by: Michael Tronick
Costume Design by: Christopher Lawrence
Set Decoration by: Casey Hallenbeck
Music by: Elliot Goldenthal
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for violence, language, sexual references.
Studio: Columbia Pictures
Release Date: August 8, 2003
