Through The Rear Window: MOVIE REVIEW …THE A-TEAM

Saturday, June 12, 2010

MOVIE REVIEW …THE A-TEAM

MOVIE REVIEW …

THE A-TEAM

Back in the less politically correct era of the 80's, Channel Ten used to be known as the 'macho TV station'. With their 'tough guy week' action movie marathons and various testosterone packed adventure shows. The mostly teenaged male audience lapped it up. Admittedly I was one of them, with The A-Team high on my list of 'must see' shows. Thankfully the film version works a treat with its escapades mirroring the show which added to Channel Ten's masculine fuelled reputation.

Four U.S. Army Special Forces soldiers are arrested for a crime they didn't commit. They include John 'Hannibal' Smith (Liam Neeson), 'Faceman' Peck (Brad Cooper), 'Howling Mad' Murdoch (Sharlto Copley), and B.A. Baracus (Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson). Marked as war criminals and thrown into military prison, they make plans for escape. When they do they're hunted by the determined Capt. Sosa (Jessica Biel) and Col. Lynch (Patrick Wilson). Evading capture and becoming soldiers of fortune they attempt to clear their names in explosive A-Team style.

If the original series copied action movies for TV consumption, the film version is its natural successor. The central concept lends itself very well for the big screen and director Joe Carnahan grabs this with all barrels blazing. Clearly in his element, he maximizes the material's potential by expanding the background to the team's formation and reasons for their wild actions. Wild being the key word as the action begins from the first frame as the loopy plot and stunts converge. Whilst it loses its way occasionally, the actual story is steeped in a vague realism which successfully anchored the TV series throughout its five seasons.

Its' most remarkable aspect is in its casting where not for a minute do you miss the original performers. From Neeson's dignified presence to Jackson's mohawked bruiser, they at once do justice to those who played them before while making each their own characters. A very difficult job they do with ease as you instantly believe the long camaraderie binding them. They more than hold their own with the many stunts although it would have been nice had some sequences been less reliant on CGI for their impact. This is a lot of fun and everyone shows a commitment to entertain as well as providing nostalgia for long time fans.

One can breathe a sigh of relief as The A-Team is one of the few TV to film adaptations to get it right. Unapologetic with its adventurous scrapes, it perfectly captures the spirit of its predecessor and wouldn't look out of place on Channel Ten's old schedule with its rampaging machismo echoing less easily shocked times.