Written by David Ayer and David McKenna, with the story credited to Ron Mita and Jim McClain, directed by Clark Johnson and produced by Neal H. Moritz, the film stars Samuel L. Jackson, Colin Farrell, Michelle Rodriguez, LL Cool J, Josh Charles, Jeremy Renner, Brian Van Holt and Olivier Martinez.

Like the TV series, the film revolves around a police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team operating in Los Angeles California.

The plot follows Hondo (Jackson) and his SWAT team as they are tasked to escort an imprisoned drug kingpin/international fugitive to prison after he offers a $100 million reward to anyone who can break him out of police custody.

He and Street manage to subdue the criminals but are taken off the SWAT team by Captain Fuller, the commanding officer of the LAPD Metropolitan Division.

Fuller offers Street a chance to rejoin the team by implicating Gamble, but he refuses and is therefore demoted to working at the police inventory.

Six months later, the chief of police calls on LAPD veteran, Sergeant Daniel "Hondo" Harrelson, to reorganize the SWAT team.

Hondo takes an interest in Street, and recruits him along with fellow officers TJ McCabe, Michael Boxer, Deacon Kaye, and Chris Sanchez, despite Fuller's protests.

As he drives to the airport in his uncle's car, he is pulled over by police for a broken tail light, and detained due to discrepancies with his false I.D.

As reporters swarm the team, Montel announces to the cameras that he is willing to offer $100 million to whoever is able to break him out, which draws the attention of criminals across the city.

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.

Hondo's team commandeers a limousine to reach the airport but realizes that Gamble has a private plane that 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.

TV series was conceived in the 1990s; Sony was planning to produce and release the film under its TriStar Pictures banner with Marcus Nispel attached to direct.

[7] 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 in September 2002.

[8] 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 film was released on a Special Edition DVD, in both Widescreen (2.39:1) & Full Screen (1.33:1) formats, on December 30, 2003, and on Blu-ray Disc on September 19, 2006.