Lyzsi SinclairCinema release review - "The A-Team"...
Well over a decade in the making, July sees the release of the film adaptation of the 1983 television series “The A-Team”. Distributed by 20th Century Fox, the film was written by Brian Bloom (who also stars in it), Skip Woods and Joe Carnahan (the man also taking the directors helm); and was produced by Stephen J. Cannell – half of the team of two who created the original television series.
Colonel John ‘Hannibel’ Smith (Liam Neeson – “Love Actually”), Templeton ‘Face’ Peck (Bradley Cooper – “The Hangover”), Bosco ‘B.A.’ Baracas (Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson – “Hell’s Chains”), and H.M ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock (Sharlto Copley – “District 9”), are an elite military Alpha Unit – or ‘A-Team’ – of former Rangers who met eight years previous in Mexico, and have been unstoppable ever since. Eight years on, and they continue to succeed in every mission they take on; but with the US troops now withdrawing from Iraq, they have one last important mission before they can leave. Informed by CIA agent Lynch (Patrick Wilson – “Hard Candy”) that Saddam Hussain’s remaining loyalists are in possession of United States mint printing plates, and also a billion dollars in self-printed cash; Hannibel heads to base head General Morrison (Gerald McRaney) to plead for his team to take on the mission. However, when a successful A-Team return with both the plates and the money, General Morrison is killed, the evidence is destroyed, the plates are stolen – and Face’s former flame Captain Charisa Sosa (Jessica Biel) is on site to arrest them all on the spot. Accused of a crime they didn’t commit, the team each escape their separate maximum security prisons, and re-band in an effort to clear their names and find the stolen plates. With CIA agent Lynch aiming to help them – is he what he appears to be, or are the team in far more trouble and danger than they had banked on…?
So hot on the heels of the latest Hollywood trend of remakes we have this, and while it differs from the television series, it is not wholly a bad film at all. The basic premise is the same (with the Vietnam war being changed to the present Iraq conflict), and the cast of Hollywood A-listers (there should be a pun there I feel) perform well together. Liam Neeson is the epitome of strength and coolness as Hannibel Smith, and although I was perhaps a bit sceptical of his casting (never really been a fan), he suited the role quite well. Sharlto Copley portrayed the madmen well without being too over-the-top, and with the majority of his screen-time resulting in lots of solid comedy moments. Quinton Jackson is a different type of B.A. Baracas from the one that has become iconic with Mr T, but he still fairs well in this remake. He delivers lots of laughs, more depth, and a slightly more compassionate character – but is still the hard-hitting rock that we all know from the series. Bradley Cooper fits into the role of Face well, relying on his looks and taking full advantage of being the woman-charming handsome man of the bunch. The overall cast with the four main actors stands well, although don’t expect too much interaction and speech screen-time – it is an action film after all.
The pace of the film is pretty much ‘hurry along as fast as you can’, which means that any scene that slightly slows it down at all feels stuttered and long. Like the television series there is a lot of action, chases and explosions – but nowhere near enough to compete with the amount you’d get in a single episode of the show. Also, although mentioned in the trailer that they are on the run, but also helping others who need it whilst trying to clear their names; the film only revolves around the main plot and the team trying to prove their innocence. In the show you’d also have the team building things or coming up with plans using things you’d never dream of – but that isn’t really focused on. It’s almost thrown in here-and-there to kind of reminisce about the show, but not keep the attention on for too long.
This film is full of, what I would call, ‘Manly Goodness’. Explosions? Check. Guns and Awesome locations? Check. Hot female support? Check. Jessica Biel plays the former flame of Bradley Cooper’s character, and although she doesn’t appear for a lot of time, she exudes a sultry demeanour. As I mentioned with the stuttering of slower scenes, the majority of those scenes include her and it does seem a bit like she is just there for the male vote. I don’t have a problem with that however as this film isn’t promising to be what it’s not, and a female character breaking up the mass-action is perhaps needed at times. Patrick Wilson plays the sly and deceitful agent Lynch well, in a role that seems to play to his strengths as an actor. Brian Bloom (one of the writers), who plays the character Pike comes across as more of a villain of the piece than anyone else. With the pace being so rushed, there really isn’t time to breathe and take in who is who, but Pike definitely strikes out as the stronger bad guy.
My main issue with this film is the predictability. Any and nearly all (aside from perhaps a couple) of the twists were ones you could see coming. No real red-herrings were thrown around to confuse the audience and lead them off-track, so when plotlines were unveiled, there was a sense of anti-climax. I find this more with American television shows and films, but I am glad that a two of the surprises weren’t so predictable (I won’t tell you what they are, so that I spoil them). There was a lot of humour throughout which made up for that, with the first half of the film providing a lot of laughs. It’s always the case when television shows transfer to the big screen that the screenwriters are possibly scared of including too many witty moments, something that perhaps a show was best known for. This remake isn’t scared of that, and delivers them in steady streams, that keep the film light-hearted, and help newcomers to these characters feel more welcome. The effects are brilliant, the explosions big, and there are plenty of “whoa, how awesome is that!” moments to keep the audience occupied. Fans of the original show will be more adverse to this remake, but it is an entertaining action film, that is worth a watch on the big screen this summer.
So, overall a fair remake of the show that manages to keep the camaraderie of the four main characters, but somehow fails to capture the action and ingenuity of the original series. This film does succeed in bringing some new life into the franchise, and will perhaps direct some people back to the television show. Entertaining, but a little predictable at times, “The A-Team” gets a 7/10. Flix Out.
P.S. Stay for the credits to see a post-credits cameo scene from original actors Dirk Benedict (Face) and Dwight Schultz (Murdock).
Colonel John ‘Hannibel’ Smith (Liam Neeson – “Love Actually”), Templeton ‘Face’ Peck (Bradley Cooper – “The Hangover”), Bosco ‘B.A.’ Baracas (Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson – “Hell’s Chains”), and H.M ‘Howling Mad’ Murdock (Sharlto Copley – “District 9”), are an elite military Alpha Unit – or ‘A-Team’ – of former Rangers who met eight years previous in Mexico, and have been unstoppable ever since. Eight years on, and they continue to succeed in every mission they take on; but with the US troops now withdrawing from Iraq, they have one last important mission before they can leave. Informed by CIA agent Lynch (Patrick Wilson – “Hard Candy”) that Saddam Hussain’s remaining loyalists are in possession of United States mint printing plates, and also a billion dollars in self-printed cash; Hannibel heads to base head General Morrison (Gerald McRaney) to plead for his team to take on the mission. However, when a successful A-Team return with both the plates and the money, General Morrison is killed, the evidence is destroyed, the plates are stolen – and Face’s former flame Captain Charisa Sosa (Jessica Biel) is on site to arrest them all on the spot. Accused of a crime they didn’t commit, the team each escape their separate maximum security prisons, and re-band in an effort to clear their names and find the stolen plates. With CIA agent Lynch aiming to help them – is he what he appears to be, or are the team in far more trouble and danger than they had banked on…?
Can the A-Team come up with a plan good enough to save the day...?
So hot on the heels of the latest Hollywood trend of remakes we have this, and while it differs from the television series, it is not wholly a bad film at all. The basic premise is the same (with the Vietnam war being changed to the present Iraq conflict), and the cast of Hollywood A-listers (there should be a pun there I feel) perform well together. Liam Neeson is the epitome of strength and coolness as Hannibel Smith, and although I was perhaps a bit sceptical of his casting (never really been a fan), he suited the role quite well. Sharlto Copley portrayed the madmen well without being too over-the-top, and with the majority of his screen-time resulting in lots of solid comedy moments. Quinton Jackson is a different type of B.A. Baracas from the one that has become iconic with Mr T, but he still fairs well in this remake. He delivers lots of laughs, more depth, and a slightly more compassionate character – but is still the hard-hitting rock that we all know from the series. Bradley Cooper fits into the role of Face well, relying on his looks and taking full advantage of being the woman-charming handsome man of the bunch. The overall cast with the four main actors stands well, although don’t expect too much interaction and speech screen-time – it is an action film after all.
Bradley Cooper uses his Hollywood good looks to full effect...
The pace of the film is pretty much ‘hurry along as fast as you can’, which means that any scene that slightly slows it down at all feels stuttered and long. Like the television series there is a lot of action, chases and explosions – but nowhere near enough to compete with the amount you’d get in a single episode of the show. Also, although mentioned in the trailer that they are on the run, but also helping others who need it whilst trying to clear their names; the film only revolves around the main plot and the team trying to prove their innocence. In the show you’d also have the team building things or coming up with plans using things you’d never dream of – but that isn’t really focused on. It’s almost thrown in here-and-there to kind of reminisce about the show, but not keep the attention on for too long.
This film is full of, what I would call, ‘Manly Goodness’. Explosions? Check. Guns and Awesome locations? Check. Hot female support? Check. Jessica Biel plays the former flame of Bradley Cooper’s character, and although she doesn’t appear for a lot of time, she exudes a sultry demeanour. As I mentioned with the stuttering of slower scenes, the majority of those scenes include her and it does seem a bit like she is just there for the male vote. I don’t have a problem with that however as this film isn’t promising to be what it’s not, and a female character breaking up the mass-action is perhaps needed at times. Patrick Wilson plays the sly and deceitful agent Lynch well, in a role that seems to play to his strengths as an actor. Brian Bloom (one of the writers), who plays the character Pike comes across as more of a villain of the piece than anyone else. With the pace being so rushed, there really isn’t time to breathe and take in who is who, but Pike definitely strikes out as the stronger bad guy.
Jessica Biel plays Captain Charisa Sosa...
My main issue with this film is the predictability. Any and nearly all (aside from perhaps a couple) of the twists were ones you could see coming. No real red-herrings were thrown around to confuse the audience and lead them off-track, so when plotlines were unveiled, there was a sense of anti-climax. I find this more with American television shows and films, but I am glad that a two of the surprises weren’t so predictable (I won’t tell you what they are, so that I spoil them). There was a lot of humour throughout which made up for that, with the first half of the film providing a lot of laughs. It’s always the case when television shows transfer to the big screen that the screenwriters are possibly scared of including too many witty moments, something that perhaps a show was best known for. This remake isn’t scared of that, and delivers them in steady streams, that keep the film light-hearted, and help newcomers to these characters feel more welcome. The effects are brilliant, the explosions big, and there are plenty of “whoa, how awesome is that!” moments to keep the audience occupied. Fans of the original show will be more adverse to this remake, but it is an entertaining action film, that is worth a watch on the big screen this summer.
Lots of explosions, guns and 'Manly goodness'...
So, overall a fair remake of the show that manages to keep the camaraderie of the four main characters, but somehow fails to capture the action and ingenuity of the original series. This film does succeed in bringing some new life into the franchise, and will perhaps direct some people back to the television show. Entertaining, but a little predictable at times, “The A-Team” gets a 7/10. Flix Out.
P.S. Stay for the credits to see a post-credits cameo scene from original actors Dirk Benedict (Face) and Dwight Schultz (Murdock).
