I watch a LOT of movies and about 1 in 20 has any redeeming qualities. This one is one of those, even though it is flawed. The first half was excellent, scenes loaded with little details that showed a lot of thought went into them, like, the FBI agent is grilling a bad cop in his office, then lifts his coffee cup to drink and it has a big smiley face on it. The smiley face comes back later in the movie as it's tatooed on the battering ram used in a later scene.
I have always considered the running street battle in Heat to be one of the best scenes of all time in movies. This movie has at least 3 scenes done just as well EXCEPT for the sound which is not as realistic as the sound in Heat.
This movie has a lot of firsts also, like, the sniping scene is done at 2000 yards and the bullets take 3 seconds to arrive at the targets. I've never see that little detail accurately portrayed before. I wanted to give those targets advice: Serpentine!!
The attempt to portray ALL the little details involved in sniper activity, and SWAT activity was incredibly enjoyable. I don't know if it was realistic but it sure convinced me. I just love that s***. This movie could have been a contender for top 10 in my book if the story hadn't lost momentum halfway through. It almost seems like someone told the producer to chop the film short because the ending is rushed and repetitious as there is no need to show the same tactical problems and solutions over and over again.
Anyone who likes action films won't be disappointed with this but don't expect Sleepless in Seattle ladies. No, this sure isn't that.