The A-Team (2010)
Director: Joe Carnahan
Starring: Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley
Synopsis:
An unconventional team of Special Forces operators get set up in a CIA doublecross during the drawdown at the end of the Iraq War. Tried, sentenced and imprisoned, they escape from confinement to clear their names, but the plot goes deeper than they realize.
Impressions:
Let's not make any bones about it. The A-Team was a rather dumb but entertaining show and this modern big-screen adaptation is also a rather dumb but entertaining film. Okay, to be fair, it actually has several moments I found rather clever, but you need adjust your expectations accordingly before going in. Purist fans of the original series probably won't like this movie, but I'd hope they wouldn't expect anything different.
Opinions vary, I'm sure, but I thought Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley and Quinton Jackson made a good team. I really wasn't a fan of Jessica Biel before this movie but I thought she was good as DCIS agent and Face's old flame Sosa. Then there are the villains. Patrick Wilson as manchild CIA operative Lynch and Brian Bloom as the ruthless mercenary Pike. Let me take an extra moment to talk about Pike, because he's a big part of why I like this movie. Early on, Hannibal derides Pike as a "cartoon character" and I took him at his word. Only Hannibal doesn't know what he's talking about and when Pike proves his Bravo Alpha bonafides, it was a revelation. Really cool bad guy and a nice contrast with Lynch.
The action is big and the humor is pretty good. This is a fun movie that you should have an easy time enjoying so long as you don't take it too seriously. I recommend the extended cut because the additional material works better and the cameos of the original cast members are integrated back where they belong rather than being tossed in as disembodied stingers as in the theatrical cut.
Rating:Watch It