If I haven't seen a new movie in a while, I will pull some of my favorites. Or perhaps I will recall something that was so inexplicably awful that I award it the term 'Garbage'. Like "Cat in the Hat" or "Twilight"!
This time around I will talk about one of my top-5 favorite movies...
The A-Team: (2010) PG-13 (Action/Comedy)
Starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, and Jessica Beil
Overview - The origin story of how our 4 infamous heroes came together. The brains of the operation, Colonel Hannibal Smith (Neeson) leads the foursome through over 80 successful missions before facing their hardest, and most devious opponent ever. Packed with plenty of action and comedy. You won't be disappointed.
Review - The big risk most people run when making a movie about an old TV show is that there are bound to be rabid fans out there just waiting to take a giant bite out of the jugular vein of the writers. For example, when John Chandrasekhar wrote the screenplay for the 2005 remake of "The Dukes of Hazzard" he was just about run out of town because he didn't write a story that followed the TV show perfectly. Now, I did not grow up with the show, so I couldn't have cared less. I enjoyed the movie for what it was. An over-the-top comedy involving a gorgeous 1969 Dodge Charger that will make your heart stop beating and put a tuft of hair on your chest.
"The A-Team" did a much better job finding the veins of the original show. We know that in the original series, the team was known for doing the most impossible missions in some of the most creative ways. They certainly deliver that in this film. Some of the ways they pull off their missions would require one to be just a bit "round the bend". I did not grow up with this show either, and I was very pleased to find out that you don't need to have any knowledge of the TV show to fall in love with this origin story. Liam Neeson takes the helm as our beloved Colonel Smith. He even picked up his old cigar smoking habits to make sure his character's obsession with cigars looked real. I was reading some background and found out they originally considered Bruce Willis for his role. Yippie Kiye Ay US Army! Thank God they didn't pursue that route. Templeton "Face" Peck is played by 38 year old Bradley Cooper. He is the only other notable name, aside from Jessica Biel, in this film. He got his big break when he played the character of Will Tippin on the TV show "Alias" back in 2001. He made a few movies that did not do well, and then he caught the eye of director Todd Phillips who helped put his name on the proverbial map in the 2009 raunchy comedy, "The Hangover". In this movie we get to see more of Bradley's smooth and bruiting persona, as well as his very accurate comedic timing. After this movie, he has my attention and will make me look twice at any movie he is in.
The cast and crew spent a large part of the film's preparation talking to military personnel and making sure that their verbiage, descriptors, and even the way they interact was in line with that of a top-notch reconnaissance team. Even Bradley Cooper got so well trained that he could reload his M-4 Rifle in under 4 seconds. I have read many angry postings about how they studio should have spent more time on the team interaction, and not so much time on the military side of things. However, the whole point of the movie was to tell the origin story of our boys. To do that, they had to establish a VERY strong military background. Not to mention a deep-seeded love for the Red, White, and Blue. I found it incredibly respectable, with regard to the US military.
The movie was marketed as an ACTION movie with a strong military skew, but I can honestly say that I have not seen such a perfect blend of ACTION and COMEDY in a very long time. The scenes get very intense, and then a punch line is delivered that will bring color back to your white knuckles. There are a couple twists and turns throughout the film, including one big curve ball that I never saw coming. The casting director did a fantastic job finding guys like Sharlto Copley (Murdock), who actually was banned from watching the show when he was a lad, and Quinton Jackson (B.A.), a current UFC fighter who lives up to his nickname of "Rampage". They also discovered some great villains in Patrick Wilson and Brian Bloom (who co-wrote the film).
Overall I give this movie a 5 out of 5. It is very well scripted and perfectly acted. It grabs hold of your attention, and never lets go. If you love action, you will be pleased. If you love comedy, you won't be let down. If you're a timid lady and aren't sure about this one......Bradley Cooper takes his shirt off. So.....whatever.
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