Sunday, May 28, 2017

A TEAM (2010)

Big screen  reboot of the classic (?) TV series is mindless fun- much like the classic series.

The film has the team (Liam Neeson, Sharlto Copley, Quinton JAckson and Bradley Cooper) going on a mission in Iraq to recover stolen treasury plates and money. They succeed but upon returning to base their commanding officer is killed and the money is destroyed in an explosion. Believed to be behind it the A-Team is arrested and sent to jail.  Six months later a CIA man named Lynch (a slimey Patrick Wilson) gets Hannibal SMith (neeson) out of prison and promises pardons and reinstatements if the group can get the plates back. Of course it's a set up- but Hannibal has a plan.

Big budget action film should have amounted to something but didn't quite make enough money to justify a second outing- which is a shame because taken on its own terms this A TEAM is great fun.

While more grounded in reality, people actually die, the film is of course grand wish fulfilment as the heroes over come every obstacle no matter the odds and even if it mean wrecking the port of Los Angeles. There is a wonderful sense of fun as well as danger (the team gets hurt) and even if the film isn't entirely realistic, aka flying the tank, the film manages to make you believe it's all possible within the world of the film.

What makes the film work is the comradery of the characters as well as the fact that the set pieces are so damn good. Yes the flying the tank bit is un real but it's fun as is the final set piece in LA.

As with many people I think this is an unheralded gem. A loving copy of the the TV show the film actually works. WHile there has been some complaints that the script doesn't make sense (Neeson had said he has a hard time following it and he was in the film) one has to realize that it is more coherent than most episodes of the original series.

Highly recommended for action fans

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