Review of The A-Team (2010) by Jacob M — 13 Sep 2013

"I love it when a plan comes together.".

One of the most successful TV shows from the 1980's was the action show The A-Team, a show about some army vets are charged for committing a crime they never committed and are chased by the government while helping others in times of trouble. While the show was definitely a cheesy show (everyone still makes it out alright after being shot at, for example), but I admit that even if it was made before my time, I still thought it was a fun show, particularly Mr. T. When plans were made to make a film version of this, I liked the idea, but didn't think it would be as fun as the show. Making it worse was hearing that Mr. T hated the film (believing it to be too violent, um... the show was considered too violent for 80's television too, fool!). However, the film turned out to be actually a mostly fun film, even if it does feel goofy throughout and has some ridiculous CGI effects.

After an opening sequence in Mexico introducing the main characters, soldiers Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson), Face Peck (Bradley Cooper), BA Baracus (Quinton "Rampage" Jackson), and Mad Murdock (Sharlto Copley) are fighting American freedom in Iraq when the four are framed for committing a crime they didn't commit (in this case, stealing counterfeit plates). The four are sent to separate military prisons. With the help of CIA officer Lynch (Patrick Wilson), the four bust out of prison and reteam up to clear their names and reclaim the plates, even with the government on their tails.

The film also stars Jessica Biel as military officer Sosa, who's also former girlfriend of Face, Brian Bloom as suspicious military man Pike, who may have framed the A-Team, and Gerald McRaney plays military general Morrison.

OK, where to begin with this film. For one thing, this film is fun. Fun, fun, fun till her daddy takes the T-Bird away. (Couldn't help it with that Beach Boys reference). While the action sequences are filled with obvious CG, particularly sequences involving a flying tank and the climax involving loads of boat crates, I was enjoying the rode. People have complained that director Joe Carnahan's style of directing is confusing and hard to follow (including Roger Ebert), but in reality, this approach is not that bad. It's not as confusing as what the shaky camera can be.

What can be confusing is the story. The plot about counterfeit plates can be hard to track sometimes and it can be hard to figure out who's on which side. But the action sequences, despite the obnoxious CG, make up for it.

The casting in The A-Team is very good. Liam Neeson is very cool and awesome as Hannibal the leader. He uses the role George Peppard perfected originally and keeps the original techniques (the cigars and the plan comes together line). Neeson nailed the part and he never disappoints, even if the film's not the best. Bradley Cooper had charms for the ladies, but it was hard for me to fully appreciate him in a role as Face. In scenes where he attracts women, I wasn't fully satisfied with the Face character. It was a little stupid for the producers to make the character act more like Tony Stark. Cooper's not the greatest actor anyway. He was OK in the role, but making Face Tony Stark was kind of a stupid decision. The original Face was loads better. I knew it would be hard for someone to take on the role Mr. T perfected in the original show, but Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, like Liam Neeson, nails the part. He even pays tribute to Mr. T by showing tattoos of the words pity and fool on his fists, pretty much cracked me up. He also delivered on the character's fear of flying and his anger issues. No he's not Mr. T, but at least he played the part well. And last, Sharlto Copley literally steals the show as the insane pilot Murcock. To put it in small terms, he's very funny. Especially in some of the action sequences, and my favorite, a sequence involving a "3D movie" called The Greater Escape.

As for the rest of the cast, they were OK. Jessica Biel succeeded in good looks. but failed in romantic tensions with Cooper. Brian Bloom was a decent villain, but it failed to explain why he would do it .And Patrick Wilson was not fully convincing as the CIA agent Lynch. He was OK, but when the character becomes bad, things fall apart. Wilson's acting was more like a man relaxing on the beach rather than a man wanting to kill off The A-Team. He wasn't very menacing.

As I said before, there is some comedy added in this, and the film is very funny. Copley's humor in flying situations is a hoot and Jackson is a strong responder.

While the film is a little darker than the TV show (yeah, people die in this one), there's still some cheesy elements that still plague the movie. The whole main character being shot at while not feeling the impact still carries on and while that is still very cheesy to look at, the film is still fun for what it is.

Last but not least, I was a little disappointed with Alan Silvestri's score. There were some moments that I found were very heroic (such as the use of the original A-Team theme), but for the most part, the score was heavily underused. It's very insulting, cause Silvestri is one of my all-time favorite composers, especially in his scores like Back to the Future and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

While the film does have some corny elements in it, the story is a little confusing, the villain is not very menacing, the score is very disappointing, Bradley Cooper was a weak Face, and the CG is some horrific CG, for the most part, The A-Team is two hours worth of dumb fun, filled with fun sequences that outdo the horrific CGI and the casting of Liam Neeson, Sharlto Copley, and Quinton "Rampage" Jackson delivered in their roles that were strong from the old TV classic.

"AHHHHHHH! You pancaked my van! I'm gonna kill you fool!".

"You can't park there! That's a handicapped zone!".