Review of The A-Team

This bold “reimagining” of the cult 80s TV series starts well but sadly loses its way in the last quarter.

The casting is spot on. Liam Neeson is gravelly and dominant as Hannibal; Bradley Cooper arrogant and chiselled as Face, Quinton ‘Rampage’ Jackson comedic and bad ass as BA, and Sharlto Copley deliciously maniacal as Murdock. The four of them work perfectly together, each ricocheting off the others with ease and believability.

The storyline itself is a bit feeble but that’s not a huge problem as you watch a film like this mainly for the action and the characters. And the action doesn’t disappoint. The film is a non-stop rollercoaster ride of ridiculousness. Key points being the paragliding tank (which is perfectly absurd) and the set piece in the container dock (which does become a little bit too silly if that is possible in this film).

The problem comes in the final 45 minutes – when things become slightly too convoluted with double-crossing and back-stabbing and side-changing happening so fast that it’s hard to tell what’s happening and who’s good and who’s bad and makes it a little hard to care. Also, the sheer body count grossed in the film is not mentioned at all as the Team kill the US’s own soldiers and henchmen, which you would think would be a very bad thing and would surely lead to some kind of prison sentence alone. But then this is in essence a “fantasy” action film and is not meant to be taken seriously but it does leave an emotional hole.

I can say that I enjoyed the characters so much that I hope they get another shot with a better story and even more explosions just so I can see more of Murdock driving aircraft with that inane grin on his face.