Reviewed by Kate Rodger
The ‘80s, aaaaah, I remember them so well. The A-Team was up there with CHiPS and The Love Boat on my “not to be missed at any cost” list. I would park up the Raleigh Twenty, chuck on my red and white stripe towelling jumpsuit and settle in with a Curly Wurly bar for my weekly dose of Mr T.
Now The A-Team gets a Hollywood makeover. Liam Neeson (Schindler's List) is having some fun as Hannibal, hot Bradley Cooper (The Hangover) as Face, and District 9 stand-out Sharlto Copley as nut-job Murdoch. Pro cage-fighter turned actor Quentin ‘Rampage’ Jackson as the legendary BA Baracus is no Mr T and doesn’t really hold his own, but given this ludicrous and very amusing romp it doesn’t matter. This really is one of those popcorn action flicks where the brain is most definitely surplus to requirements.
Leaving the ‘80s firmly behind, the Iraq war sets the backdrop for a more modern A-Team adventure, as our boys “specialise in the ridiculous” to get the job done for king and country. When the bad guys frame them, specialising in the ridiculous becomes the only way they can prove their innocence. And make no mistake, we are talking ridiculous. We have a flying tank which explodes out of a military transport plane at 40 thousand feet plummeting to earth while shooting at drones before landing safely in a lake, driving out with our four crew members still intact and without a scratch. And that’s just one of the stunt/CGI gags.
Amidst all the silly action there are actually a couple of noteworthy outings here. Copley brings a stand-out over-the-top performance as Murdoch and is cause of much merriment. Watchmen star Patrick Wilson also hits the perfect comic note as Lynch, a CIA agent with a hazy agenda.
The pace takes a hit several times when the writers make the mistake of including a few redundant “please take us a bit seriously here” moments, and the final climactic showdown suffers from some of the silliest CGI I’ve seen in a long time.
But The A-Team doesn’t ask for much, and on a rainy winter’s weekend, this really is a fun way to escape. For diehard A-Team fans, it might pay to wait out the credits.
Four stars.
The A-Team
:: Director: Joe Carnahan
:: Starring: Bradley Cooper, Liam Neeson, Jessica Biel, Sharlto Copley, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson , Patrick Wilson
:: Running Time: 118 mins
:: Rating: M - Contains violence
:: Release Date: June 10, 2010
:: Links: Trailer
