“There are times when overkill is under-rated”, says one of the film’s main characters. That seems to be the philosophy of director Joe Carnahan, who spares no stunt or explosion. This won’t win any awards but if you’re in the mood for two hours of non-stop action, you’ll get your money’s worth with The A-Team.
Based on the hugely popular 1980s TV series starring George Peppard and Mr. T, the film amps up the action quotient to the nth degree and provides the viewer with a frenetic series of slam-bang chase and fight sequences. The scenes range from amusingly silly to absolutely ridiculous (such as when the A-Team bails out of an exploding airplane in a tank with a parachute attached to it and battle attacking fighters on the way down) and no one gets seriously hurt. The bloodless violence was one of the hallmarks of the original TV series, as well.
The first two thirds of the film are the best. It starts with individual introductions to our titular quartet. Col. John “Hannibal” Smith (Liam Neeson) is a military strategist who “specializes in the ridiculous”. Lt. “Faceman” Peck (Bradley Cooper, who’s the real focus of the film) is a suave rogue who can charm any woman and has the ability to procure contraband of any type, even while in prison. Corporal Bosco “B.A.” Baracus (Quinton “Rampage” Jackson) is the muscular wheelman of the group. Capt. H.M. “Howling Mad” Murdock (played by a scene stealing Sharlto Copley) is the team’s mad-as-a-hatter ace pilot. They are all Army Rangers. We see how they got together eight years earlier in Mexico, when Hannibal and Face are on a mission and run into the discharged B.A. and the committed (in a mental institution) Murdock.
After their initial adventure, we cut to eight years later, during a troop pull-out from Iraq, when the A-Team has racked up 85 successful covert operations and has developed a reputation for being the best of the best. However, the team is recruited for one final mission by shady CIA operative Lynch (Patrick Wilson) who wants our heroes to retrieve stolen printing plates from Iraqi dissidents before they can print money to fund the enemy army. Hannibal accepts the covert black-op and only two people — Lynch and General Morrison (Gerald McRaney) — know that the team is working under orders. The team succeeds, but unfortunately for the formidable foursome, the General is killed and Lynch has vanished into the ether. The A-Team is court-martialed for the thefts and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Of course, you can’t keep four good men down and the team soon escapes, determined to find out why they were set up and to clear their names.
From this point on, the film never stops for a breath. The team travels the world seeking justice and battling the bad guys. All the while, they are pursued by a team of DOD agents, led by Lt. Sosa (Jessica Biel, the only major female character in the film), an old flame of Face, who has some very personal motivations in capturing the fugitive foursome.
There isn’t much else in the way of plot, but the underlying subtext of the film is about Face’s journey from a reckless young man into a leader. At the beginning of the film, Face is chastised by Hannibal for his impetuous actions which almost get them all killed. The paradigm begins to shift as the story develops and Face’s independent actions begin to pay-off for the team, despite Hannibal’s orders to the contrary. Face begins to question the wisdom of his leader (“Why didn’t you see this coming?” Face asks accusingly, when things start to go south for the team) and he finally decides to step up. Eventually, Hannibal surrenders leadership of the team to Face, who mastermind’s the final confrontation with the bad guys. Face even gets to use Hannibal’s trademark phrase “I love it when a plan comes together!”
The A-Team has lots of little treats for fans of the old show. B.A. has the words “Pity” and “fool” tattooed on his hands; the black van; B.A.’s fear of flying, necessitating that his partners sedate him to get him on a plane. The only thing missing is Hannibal’s penchant for using disguises. Quinton Jackson portrays a kindlier version of B.A., lacking the growling hostility that made Mr. T so popular. Copley steals almost every scene he’s in with his over-the-top performance. Neeson, who has reinvented himself as an action hero in recent years, is authoritative as Hannibal but he lacks the playfulness and humor that Peppard brought to the role. Cooper’s Faceman Peck is the pivotal character of the film. The final third of the film focuses so much on him that it reduces the presence of the others in the last act, which is to the detriment of the overall film.
Basically, The A-Team is simple fun, replacing plot with pyrotechnics. Fans of the old show may or may not like this adrenaline-filled interpretation of an old favorite, but they’ll still get a few nostalgic smiles, especially when Copley is on screen.
"The A-Team" opens June 11, 2010 and is rated PG13. Action. Directed by Joe Carnahan. Written by Joe Carnahan & Brian Bloom and Skip Woods. Starring Bradley Cooper, Jessica Biel, Liam Neeson, Patrick Wilson, Quinton Rampage Jackson, Sharlto Copley.
