Movie review - The A Team

During the Iraq War or some other conflict in the Middle East, a crack commando team (Hannibal Smith - Liam Neeson, Templeton 'Face' Peck - Bradley Cooper, H.M. Murdock - Sharlto Copely, and BA Baracus - Quinton 'Rampage Jackson') was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn't commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade. With a particularly hot army officer (Lt. Charissa Sosa - Jessica Biel) on their heels, and wanted various other bodies of government, these men go underground in an attempt to clear their names.

A 're-imaging' of the classic 80s TV action series, The A Team is just like the TV show itself - big, stupid, but highly enjoyable in a big and stupid way! If you're looking for deep thought, this is not the movie for you. We're talking about a movie where they try to fly an army tank FFS.  

So what's good? Well, the action sequences for one. Really. I did just slam their attempt to show a bunch of guys try to fly a tank...but really, how many movies out there think that they can't do that?! Liam Neeson as an army colonel, thumbs up. He really shows how he lives for the buzz of black ops but despite the reckless aspect, he takes his responsibility to this country and team very seriously. He also looked good in uniform. Kudos. Likewise, Sharlto Copley (previously seen on District 9) also gets kudos for being as howling mad as Murdock from TV.


So what doesn't work as well...Jessica Biel is about as convincing an army lieutenant as Denise Richards was a nuclear scientist. But hey, this movie clearly isn't about convincing. Bradley Cooper's casting as Face came hot on the heels of his success in The Hangover where he was the 'hot guy' in the cast, not hard when your castmate is Zack Galifianakis (or however you spell his name). But in this movie where he's supposed to be irresistible to women...he had the attitude and charm, yes, but I couldn't help hearing the words of an ex-bf who described him with the words, "He's got the kind of arrogant face that women seem to love but makes you want to just punch him in the face." I think his eyes are a bit too close together.

Anyway, like other big dumb movies that I've seen in the past few years, I found this movie big, dumb, but highly enjoyable! Turn off your brain!  
6.5-7/10