THE A-TEAM (REVIEW)
This film should spark an interest for anyone who remembers
watching the weekly 1980's television show, about an elite military
quartet, known as The A-Team. Adapted to the big screen as an exciting
action spectacular that continually attempts to wow the audience with
one elaborate scene after another, it works to a point. But repetition
becomes its downfall, mainly due to an overkill of embellishment.
The opening montage of scenes explains how the team met,
got together and stayed together, forming a bond that they would use
to fight the enemy in any government assigned mission. Jumping forward
eight years and the boys have been accused of a crime they didn't commit
and are convicted and put separately behind bars until further notice.
Now incarcerated due to an inside frame up for theft of some extremely
important printing plates that can produce crisp counterfeited money,
The A-Team need an escape route.
Their leader Hannibal (Liam Neeson) is as always the man
with a plan. With the help of a CIA agent (Patrick Wilson), Hannibal
and company escape from their respective prisons and are now branded
fugitives. All they want to do is take down the bad guys and clear their
names, which is really just an excuse to blow things up. With Hannibal
calling the shots, the remaining three soldiers all have their own identities
and specialities.
Templeton Peck is known as 'Face, a master of disguise
and a smooth talking ladies man, which often gets him into ordeals worse
than any military situation. Howling Mad Murdoch, is in charge of transportation
and loves to fly, to the edge of sanity. Finally, B.A. Baracus is all
muscle and bad attitude, he also happens to be a weapons expert who
can hit a target from miles away. A young determined Army officer who
also happens to be beautiful is hot on their trail, but the closer she
gets, it becomes clear innocence could actually be proven.
The A-Team is loud, fill in the blanks, liveliness that
gets full marks for energy, not logistics. Most of the action is audacious,
none more so than an amazing stunt involving a plummeting armoured tank
falling from the sky with the A-Team inside. It is good to see the usual
serious actor, Liam Neeson, in this kind of Hollywood fluff, as Hannibal,
who loves it when a plan comes together, works astutely in the intense
situations and looks to be enjoying chomping on those cigars. A role
Bruce Willis was first approached to play.
Bradley Cooper as Face is an appropriate charmer, while
Sharlto Copley, last seen turning into a South African prawn in the
brilliant science fiction drama, 'District 9', is unrecognisable as
the crazy Murdoch. Fans of Mr. T in the original series as the iconic
B.A may be quite rightly disappointed, however UFC fighting champion
Quinton Rampage Jackson, does what he has to do to incorporate the new
version of the character.
A number of points where the plot goes for sincerity in
between the mayhem, including a romantic involvement side story, do
nothing but confuse rationale of why the screen writers included it.
Jessica Biel as the beautiful officer in pursuit to uncover the truth,
also catching the eye of Face, is the only significant female in the
story and the perfect choice, go J.B.
Fans of the retro television show may also be happy to
see a couple of familiar faces pop in for cameos. The similar themed
recent release, The Losers, was a better film on a smaller scale. However,
if it's amusing one-liners and high octane kaboom's lighting up the
cinema that you enjoy, then The A-Team is for you.
Shane A. Bassett
