Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here.
Not all that long ago, Ain't It Cool News had an infrequent but extremely popular writer named Neill Cumpston. There are few weeks that go by that I don't see some big, dumb Hollywood production and wonder WWNCS (What Would Neill Cumpston Say). He tended to focus on action films--the more extravagant and ridiculous, the better in his estimation. I'm in fairly regular contact with the many who was Mr. Cumpston, and I never miss an opportunity to encourage him to bring back Neill. But he's a much busier man than he was when he did his last review for AICN, which I believe was CLOVERFIELD. Still, after seeing THE A-TEAM earlier this week, I couldn't resist dropping him a line and saying that if ever there was a film made for his unique brand of pre-adolescent, Big Gulp-fueled sensibilities, this was the one. And I mean that in the best possible way.
Now in no way am I implying that THE A-TEAM is a masterful action epic; it is not. However, there is at least one exceptional, apocalyptic-sized sequence that serves as the film's messy climax that is pretty spectacular. The setting is a shipping port loaded with storage containers piled six or seven high. I think you'll know it when you see it. The rest of the film's action moments are varying degrees of pretty good; I don't think there's one that will let you down, but for the most part they are simply larger and louder versions of things we've seen before. But what THE A-TEAM has going for it that a lot of other "tough-guy team" films like it (most recently THE LOSERS) do not is an attitude and sense of humor that I find painfully lacking in other works.
I have never seen a single episode of "The A-Team" television show, and I shouldn't have to have to enjoy a movie like this. The film version of anything based on outside source material should stand on its own. I shouldn't have to have seen a TV series or read a particular book/comic book or seen the original version of a remake to appreciate what's right in front of me. That doesn't mean I don't try to do so, but I shouldn't have to. That said, I really grew to enjoy the company of the four men who make up this military special force that specializes in insane missions. As the film opens, we see the events that led up to these four thrill seekers together. The cigar-chomping Hannibal (Liam Neeson) and the handsome-as-fuck Face (Bradley Cooper) were Army Rangers who were already working together on a mission in Mexico. Hannibal breaks free of his captors and is racing to save Face, who is about to be executed by an even somebody or another. Hannibal runs into B.A. Baracus (UFC champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson), a former Ranger as well. When the mission is complete, they decide they need one more member for their newfound Alpha Team in the form of a certifiably insane pilot named Murdock (Sharlto Copley in his first starring role since DISTRICT 9).
In an interesting plot point, the events jump ahead several years ("8 years, 80 missions later" I believe is what the film tells us) to what is described as the final days of America's pull out from Iraq. The team is recruited off the record by CIA Agent Lynch (Watchmen's Patrick Wilson in a great, smarmy turn) to go into Baghdad and retrieve money printing plates that could be used to produce millions of dollars of counterfeit money by terrorists or unfriendly governments. Representing the Army's interests (in other words, telling the team they absolutely cannot go into Baghdad) is Jessica Biel's Charisa Sosa, an old flame of Face's (but who isn't?). Let me interrupt myself for a second to say that the weakest link in this movie is Biel. First off, I don't think she's a good actress. But that isn't why she makes this movie a lesser thing. Her character has no purpose other than to distract us from the proceedings. I can almost guarantee that when you see this movie, there will be a collective audience groan every time she appears on screen. In my head, the sound alternated between crickets, tires screeching to a halt, and a turntable needle scratching across vinyl. And the film doesn't even attempt to make her sexy, which would have been an acceptable use of her unique talents. I'm pretty sure you could remove her from the film, and the plot would barely be altered or compromised.
When the mission to Baghdad goes horribly wrong, the team is falsely accused of coming up with the mission on their own and going rogue, and all of them are sent to separate prisons. The rest of the film is basically the team trying to clear their name, avoid being captured, battle an evil private black ops group (led by sufficiently sleazy Brian Bloom, a video game voice actor in his first major role, although he did appear in SMOKIN' ACES), and try to distinguish the good guys from the bad. It's a romp, and it's hard to imagine that at some point during THE A-TEAM you won't crack a smile or two. Director and co-writer Joe Carnahan (NARC, SMOKIN' ACES) has made the emphasis on fun and entertainment. There are a weirdly disproportionate number of shots of the team just laughing and whooping it up, and most of it comes across as genuine. Cooper seems like the ultimate frat boy, and Copley is playing a version of insane that is unlike anything I've seen before. It took me a while to realize that his character puts on different accents just because that's the way his brain works (or doesn't work). If he thinks a statement or joke would be more effective with a British or Australian accent, out it comes. Bizarre doesn't even begin to cover it.
One of these days, I'll get around to reviewing a film I saw at SXSW called BARRY MUNDAY, which showed me a comedic side to Patrick Wilson that I simply had no idea existed. The movie is above-average, but Wilson's performance elevates it to something far better. I think I can say the same thing about THE A-TEAM. His cocksure delivery of some of the film's best dialogue was the highlight of this movie. And as much as I dreaded every second Biel was on screen, Wilson could not be up there enough in my estimation. If you feel the need to put a label on everything, I'm sure THE A-TEAM is meant to be a comedy, and in a lot of ways, it works better as one than as an action movie. But the combination of the two makes this film a great, testosterone-enlarged romp--pointless and silly, yes, but also an endless source of amusement. I can't promise you belly laughs for days, but I think I'm safe in assuming you will have no trouble keeping your eyes open.
-- Capone
capone@aintitcool.com
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