I haven't watched the TV show, so what drew me to A-Team was the lure of watching the otherwise uptight Liam Neeson and that funny guy from Hangover (Cooper) kick some ass
The A-Team
a; thriller
Dir: Joe Carnahan
Cast: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, Sharlto Copley, Jessica Biel, Patrick Wilson, and Gerald McRane
Rating: **
What's it about: I haven't watched the TV show, so what drew me to A-Team was the lure of watching the otherwise uptight Liam Neeson and that funny guy from Hangover (Cooper) kick some ass. There's not so much of a storyline here, except for a bunch of former military men (A-Team) now part of a Special Forces team wanting to nab a bunch of goons using fake currency plates to smuggle money out of Iraq. Along the way there are multiple scenes of cars, helicopters and trucks being blown up, and in somewhere between all of this is Jessica Biel wearing tight pants playing an intelligence officer.
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What's hot: It's an all-out action flick, so without wasting much time, Joe Carnahan cuts to the chase. The opening scene and character introductions to all the four team members is pretty stellar. Of the four, Cooper gets the coolest character, making us wonder if his role was upped after the super success of The Hangover. Scenes where they commit the currency plates heist stand out for their superbly choreographed action scenes. There are very few moments that actually make sense, logic and reason are tossed out for adrenalin pumping car chases, twists and turns.
What's not: Sometime in the middle of the film, there's a scene showing off the camaraderie between the A-Team members, that's the point where you realise the actors actually have to try hard to make you believe in what should have been instant chemistry. Unfortunately, the ensemble of actors we watch on screen fall short of what we expect the team to deliver. Yes, they have the guns and grenades, but where's the wit and sarcasm? As standalone characters they might succeed, but put together in a frame, they look like total misfits. Carnahan takes over-the-top way too seriously and the climax has an awfully lackluster finesse. Liam Neeson's cigar chewing act gets repetitive, so does Cooper's 'so long muthaf***rs' line. After a bang, the plot whimpers midway finally dragging its feet to the grave in the end.
What to do: If cheap stunts and inane actions scenes entice you then queue up for this A-Team, otherwise try and rent the original TV show which I hear is a cult classic!