SWAT: Under Siege (DVD) : Review

Film

A hi-tech SWAT compound is besieged by a group of international terrorists who are after a mystery many that is being held by the SWAT team there.

Trying very hard to repeat the flair of S.W.A.T of 2003 (which got things right). The film also borrows heavily from Assault on Precinct 13, but does not come close to the cult classic of the original, nor the action of the reboot.

From not having much of an idea of actual SWAT tactics, to the annoying use of firearms, the terrible dialogue, and paper thing story, one wonders why this was made in the first place. Its not even worthy of a lazy day, where one just wants some mindless action. Not much to say, and nothing positive. Bad, in every way. Avoid at all costs.

Disc

SWAT: Under Siege is technically a decent disc, although devoid of any bonus features. The main feature is however, not much to write home about, so not really worth the effort acquiring the disc.

SWAT: Under Siege is available now, to purchase on disc, in South Africa.

Video

Video is encoded at a high average bitrate, with no visible artefacts on-screen. Colour do appear a bit desaturated throughout, but this is likely a choice or a result, of the filmmaking process and not the disc.

There is no visible colour bleed. Detail in darker scenes is maintained to a decent degree.

Viewers with the relevant hardware or software, could scale up to a larger, or higher resolution screen, should they wish.

Audio

Audio is presented in a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, and is encoded at a high average bitrate, with dialogue clear via the centre speaker. Much of the soundtrack weight is carried via the front channels, with the surround channels used often to expand the on-screen world, further drawing the viewer into the action.

Navigation

Navigation is simple, and easy to follow., with a static main menu. This menu has background music, and text links to play the main feature, languages, and scene selections.

The languages sub-menu has text links to choose the desired audio language, and subtitles.

The scene selections sub-menus each contain four medium sized, static, colour thumbnails, for a total of sixteen chapters.

While the thumbnails are numbered, they are not labelled, nor is there a chapter listing in or on the packaging, meaning that a certain amount of guesswork is required when wishing to navigate to a particular part of the main feature.

Bonus Features

There are no bonus features on the disc, nor the usual trailers on commercial discs that autoplay at the beginning of any disc.

Packaging

Packaging is pretty standard, with a poster on the front of the cover, showing title, and main cast.

The back of the packaging has a short synopsis, the usual technical information, and a few character stills from the main feature.

 

By Andrew Germishuys

Founder of SAMDB | Actor | Armourer | Tech Enthusiast With over two decades in the film industry, I'm a seasoned actor and skilled armourer. I hold numerous certifications in acting and filmmaking, complemented by degrees and diplomas in IT and technology, giving me a unique blend of creative and technical expertise. When I'm not on set or in the workshop, you'll find me immersed in the world of gaming and VR, fuelling my passion for cutting-edge technology. Connect with me: X / Twitter Facebook Instagram Mastodon Threads Explore my work on SAMDB IMDb