I was never a big fan of the A-Team when I was growing up. I was more of a Magnum PI guy. That being said, I was looking forward to this "reimagining" of the show. Not cause I wanted to see how much they changed it but as a fan of the director and team-based action movies.
This movie had a long and troubled history. From 1996 till as recently as 2008, this movie had more aborted beginnings than a girl after prom night. John Singleton, director of Boyz In The Hood and 2 Fast 2 Furious, was the last guy to take a crack at it. I wasn't all to excited about it. His skills at action are dubious at best. Then the director of Narc and Smokin' Aces, Joe Carnahan stepped up and took a swing and actually managed to make the film. You may not be a fan of his previous movies like I am but his ability to stage action and keep momentum going is fairly obvious. I believe it's his skills at not being a cookie-cutter director that actually helped elevate what could have been another sad and tired remake into one of the most ridiculously fun movies so far this summer.
We all know the story by now, the A-Team is a group of Army Rangers who have been framed for a crime they didn't commit and sent to prison. They use their considerable skills to escape from prison and start on a mission to clear their names. It's within this framework that Joe Carnahan lets loose. All of the actors making up the A-Team are perfect for their roles. Liam Neeson brings a very paternal weight to Hannibal. Bradley Cooper shows considerable action chops as Face. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson quite ably steps into the role of B.A. Baracus and Sharlto Copley gives Murdock the perfect blend of insanity and actual talent. Jessica Biel does what she can as the obligatory role as the Army Lieutenant assigned to track them down. The role isn't really much. She's there to be eye candy and to be a constant threat to the guys. Patrick Wilson is quite smarmy and dickish as Lynch, the mysterious CIA operative who has old ties to the team. The real standout amongst the supporting cast is Brian Bloom as Pike, a mercenary and a quite capable one at that. Bloom also co-wrote the movie with Carnahan and almost certainly gave himself free reign to be both a badass but also a legitimate danger for our heroes. Pike has lots of great moments in the film, the standout being a scene in the backseat of a car which involves inept CIA agents. The man is unpredictable and proves as much when the final scenes come along.
Carnahan knows that this movie can't be taken seriously and uses that as an excuse to keep things light and fun throughout. This is not the type of movie you go into and start questioning the logic and physics behind it all. Murdock manages to fly a helicopter upside down and the team parachutes to safety in a tank. That right there shows that you just need to go along with it all. This is a guy movie, pure and simple. It's in those moments where Carnahan and company try to bring emotional weight to the proceedings that the movie stumbles a bit. It's a sudden tonal change that just feels out of place. The romantic history between Biel and Cooper also feels a little unnecessary but I can forgive them for it. She's the only real female in the movie and had to be there to get women to tag along with their boyfriends or husbands, "Look honey, it has the girl from 7th Heaven! Remember? The one who posed for Maxim and got fired." The movie starts strong and never really slows down. It's able to go from action piece to action piece with the greatest of ease. Even giving the characters moments to be funny within them. The third act feels a little rushed and out of place from the rest of the movie but you've had so much fun so far that it's tough to be mad about it.
There you have it, folks. One of the big surprises of the summer is that The A-Team is actually really, really good. It had a lot of problems getting to the screen and will be labeled as stupid and over the top but that's the point. It's summer popcorn entertainment at it's most fun.
8/10
