The A-Team

Starring Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley, and Quinton “Rampage” Jackson 

Before the Scott Pilgrim and Inception trailers were released, this was easily my most anticipated movie of 2010. Based on the popular television series from the 1980’s, it follows a group of Army Rangers in Iraq (changed from the original Vietnam War setting to fit modern times) who are imprisoned for a crime which they did not commit. Determined to clear their names at any cost, the group escapes imprisonment in search of the people who set them up.

From the very beginning, the main element that sparked my interest was the casting. Liam Neeson as Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith was absolute perfection. Neeson proves that age is nothing but a number when it comes to kicking ass and taking names. From the way he chomps on his cigar to the cockiness with which he delivers his character’s classic line, I couldn’t imagine anyone being as good in this role as he was (besides the late John Peppard of course). Bradley Cooper as Templeton “Faceman” Peck seemed pretty obvious, what with him being one of today’s “hottest” actors and the face recognition that is sure to attract female audiences. He plays the character differently than he was portrayed in the show. While the 80’s Faceman got by with his charm, Cooper’s Faceman sleeps his way through the movie. I’m not sure we needed to see him seduce every girl he laid his eyes on. We get it: girls want you. Sharlto Copley was a complete surprise as H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock. I became a big fan of Copley’s after his brilliant performance in last year’s District 9, and was pretty excited to see what he brought to the table as the nutjob pilot, and sure enough, he delivers. Murdock was always my favorite member of the team, and it remains true. Finally, the biggest, and easily most important factor in remaking the A-Team: the casting of B.A. Baracus, the role that shot Mr. T into stardom. I must admit, I was a bit nervous when I heard he was being portrayed by a UFC fighter. It would be nearly impossible to make the character your own, especially when the character was specifically created for Mr. T. Rampage fits the character pretty well though. He brings more to the character than the simple “act tough and pity some fools” that was required for the role.

Hardcore fans of the show will be displeased due to the increase in violence. If you’ve ever seen an episode of the show, you’d know that even though they always used a fair amount of ammunition and more than enough explosives, not a single person ever died or got seriously hurt. After every major explosion or car flip, they’d make sure to show the villains crawl out of the wreckage in one piece. Well, guess what: this isn’t the 80’s. Times are changing. People need their violence. It’s kinda sad, I’ll admit, but the violence in the movie is so over the top and cartoony that I didn’t mind it one bit. In fact, I welcomed it with open arms.

One issue I had with the movie, albeit pretty minor, was the misuse of Baracus’ van. The van was such an iconic part of the show, it was almost like the fifth member of the team, and it was horribly underused. It was to the A-Team what the Millenium Falcon was to Han Solo, what the Batmobile was to Batman. To have it play such a minor role in this movie was pretty dissappointing to see. In an age where most action heroes drive suped up sports cars, it would’ve been refreshing to see someone use such a big and inconvenient, although bad ass, mode of transportation.
Another issue I had was some of the camerawork during some of the action scenes. Like the Bourne movies, it has a lot of shaky cam, so much so that it is hard to tell what’s going on at times. This seems to be something that plagues many of today’s action films.

This movie manages to achieve what many modern day remakes of classic American staples strive for: reach new audiences while remaining faithful to the original source material. Don’t go into this movie expecting a smartly written war thriller though, because it isn’t. Unlike many action movies, however, this movie knows it, and it thrives in it. Director Joe Carnahan knows what elements of the show made it such a big hit and is able to successfully translate them into a summer blockbuster that is sure to satisfy casual fans of the show while pleasing newcomers alike.

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