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In what is perhaps best described as "The Fast and the Furious meets NYPD Blue," S.W.A.T. is an action flick with a young ensemble cast about an elite team of LAPD cops that must protect an extremely dangerous criminal. Samuel L. Jackson will play the voice of experience amongst the youngsters - yes, I did just say "Samuel L. Jackson will play the voice of experience"- a group that includes Colin Farrell, LL Cool J, Michelle Rodriguez, and Jeremy Renner. Several actors had been slated for Farrell's role previously; in fact, the film was originally supposed to be a less "hip" movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger (though Paul Walker and Mark Wahlberg were also in talks for the role). S.W.A.T. marks yet another step in Farrell's meteoric rise to stardom. If it seems like you've been seeing a lot of him lately, you're absolutely right - this will already be the fourth film of 2003 for Farrell when it is released in August, with two more scheduled for release in the fall.

The film is being directed by newcomer Clark Johnson, whose previous credits include edgy TV police dramas such as NYPD Blue, The Shield, and Homicide: Life on the Streets. The director was originally supposed to be Zack Snyder, whose only previous experience was in the field of television commercials, although Snyder eventually ended up deciding to helm the as-of-yet-unmade comic book adaptation Mage. Obviously, both choices for director give a good sense of the tone this film would appear to be going for- fast-paced, edgy, and high on the glitz and glamour. Indeed, with a good marketing campaign, I wouldn't be at all surprised to see this film end up being the sequel that 2 Fast 2 Furious should have been. (Zach Kolkin/BOP)

Vital statistics for S.W.A.T. Main Cast Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell Supporting Cast LL Cool J, Michelle Rodriguez, Josh Charles, Olivier Martinez Director Clark Johnson Screenwriter David Ayer Distributor Sony/Columbia Trailer Click Here for Trailer Official Site http://www.sony.com/swat Rating PG-13 Running Time 117 minutes Screen Count 3,202 Talent in red has entry in The Big Picture

Comparison films for S.W.A.T.
Title	Date	Opening	Adjusted Opening	Screens	PSA	Adj PSA	Total BO	Adjusted Total	Mult
Daredevil	2/14/03	45.03	45.03	3471	12974.00	12974.0	102.54	102.54	2.28
Fast and the Furious, The	6/22/01	40.09	42.78	2628	15255.00	15660.0	144.51	154.23	3.60
Recruit, The	1/31/03	16.30	16.30	2376	6861.00	6861.0	52.79	52.79	3.24
Basic Instinct	3/20/92	15.13	21.98	1567	9655.00	13493.7	117.73	171.06	7.78
Phone Booth	4/4/03	15.02	15.02	2481	6054.00	6054.0	46.56	46.56	3.11
Basic	3/28/03	11.51	11.51	2876	4003.00	4003.0	26.60	26.60	2.31