As the only Chinese mainland director to shoot Jackie Chan's movie - one film of Police Story franchise - Ding Sheng recently revealed that he wanted to make police movies since he was young.

Now with the launch of his eighth directorial film, S.W.A.T., the 49-year-old Shandong native is finally realizing the dream.

Based on true stories of the "Blue Sword", a Beijing special weapon and tactics unit, the movie was released across the mainland on Dec 27.

As the first of its kind to put spotlight on China's SWAT police officers, the tale revolves around an elite team's death-defying missions to rescue hostages and crack down on a drug ring.

A surprise for fans of American TV series Prison Break, actor Robert Knepper – famous for playing the villain Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell – joins the cast, which is led by Chinese actors Ling Xiaosu, Jia Nailiang, Zhang Yunlong and actress Jin Chen.

During the Beijing premiere on Dec 26, Ding said he has decided to focus on directing police films many years ago, although the mainland market at that time was dominated by Hong Kong police movies.

"S.W.A.T. features a larger scale than most of my previous works. I've tried my best to spend two years on preparation, shooting and post-production," said Ding.

He also said the major cast members were allowed to train with Chinese SWAT police officers with the support of Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau and Ministry of Public Security.