Sidewalks On The Corner

In the 80’s, The A-Team was one of the top rated shows on TV. Now, Liam Neeson leads the soldiers of fortune for a new, expensive feature film. Here they are: THE A-TEAM.

Follow up:

THE A-TEAM
Directed by Joe Carnahan
Produced by Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, Jules Daly, Stephen J. Cannell, and Alex Young
Written by Joe Carnahan, Brian Bloom and Skip Woods

Studio Synopsis:
THE A-TEAM follows the daring exploits of a colorful team of former Special Forces soldiers who were set up for a crime they did not commit. Going "rogue," they utilize their unique talents to try and clear their names and find the true culprit. Liam Neeson ("Taken"), Bradley Cooper ("The Hangover"), mixed martial artist Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, and "District 9" sensation Sharlto Copley, are "The A-Team." The film also stars Jessica Biel and Patrick Wilson.

Liam Neeson, whose many credits include the Oscar®-winning Schindler's List and the recent box-office hit Taken, portrays Hannibal Smith, a master planner of inventive missions requiring split-second timing, unusual skills and a team of incredibly proficient soldiers; Bradley Cooper, who shot to movie superstardom in the smash comedy The Hangover, is Templeton "Face" Peck, who can procure anything for the Team's unorthodox and daring missions; Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, a professional mixed martial artist and a top rated UFC light heavyweight, is B.A. Baracus, the Team's driver and muscle; and Sharlto Copley, who starred in the hit District 9, is H.M "Howlin' Mad" Murdock, a gifted pilot - and certified loon. Jessica Biel (The Illusionist) stars as Capt. Charissa Sosa, a former love interest of Face's, but who is now relentlessly pursuing the Team for a crime not of their doing. Patrick Wilson (Watchmen) is a mysterious CIA operative, Lynch, who is a key player in the Team's most explosive mission.

The cast of THE A-TEAM also features Gerald McRaney (Deadwood) as General Morrison, Hannibal's friend and mentor; and Brian Bloom (Smokin' Aces) as Pike, a shadowy private military contractor.

(from left) Face (Bradley Cooper), Murdock (Sharlto Copley), Hannibal (Liam Neeson) and B.A. (Quinton "Rampage" Jackson) race into action.
Photo credit: Doug Curran

J.P.'s Take:
There seems to be an 80's revival hatching on the big screen lately. With the resurgence of TV titles like G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Miami Vice, these and others have been turned into big screen films. Even former silver screen films like “The Karate Kid” and “The Nightmare on Elm Street” are making a return this year as well. They have been pulled out of the vault, dusted off and given a fresh make over. It’s all too fitting that “The A-Team” receives the same treatment.

Flashback to the fall of 1983, NBC has debuted a new TV series starring Banacek's George Peppard, Battlestar Galactica's Dirk Benedict, Dwight Schultz and Mr. T. The Tuesday night action-filled thriller became highly successful and lasted for five seasons. I’m sure many fans are asking -- what can they expect from a movie rehash? I can attest to the fact that there are many unusual things you don’t expect to see in the original television show.

In the first act, A-Team followers are re-acquainted with characters they have loved for years. Col. John “Hannibal” Smith (Liam Neeson), Lt. Templeton “Faceman” Peck (Bradley Cooper), Sgt. Bosco A. “Bad Attitude” Baracus (Quinton “Rampage” Jackson) and U.S. Army pilot James “Howling Mad” Murdock (Sharlto Copley). Four specially trained commandos are framed for a crime they didn’t commit and are sent to prison. Now they’re on a mission to clear their names. You follow the team as they meet for the first time; soon the four-man wrecking crew is taking on missions together. In an instant you are bombarded with explosions, followed by crazy stunts involving vehicles of all types, especially aircraft. Heroes and villains both erupt in a blitz of gunfire, emptying enough clips to make Rambo jealous. That’s all well and good, except when spliced together to create a movie, the situation turns into jarring splinters of distraction. Trying to make heads or tails of what’s happening in those violent scenes only ends up becoming an all out sensory assault. Jessica Biel, who plays Capt. Charisa Sosa, said it best, “these guys specialize in the ridiculous.” She wasn’t kidding.

So just how ridiculous is the scenario? Let’s just say the foursome finds an impractical, impossible way to use a tank cannon. On their way to complete a mission, after escaping prison, they decide to go for a joy ride in a cargo plane. With drones ready to shoot them down, the crack team takes refuge in a tank, stored in the belly of the plane. To make a long story short, the plane is shot down leaving the crew aboard a falling tank with parachutes attached. They realize they can’t steer a two-ton tank. So what do they do? They use the cannon, like an astronaut uses the shuttles thrusters, to propel the tank in the direction they want it to go. I guess the filmmakers want us to believe the laws of gravity don’t apply to these objects in the hands of such skilled warriors. What’s even more ridiculous is no injuries are visible, not so much as a broken finger arose in the midst of all the impossible, dangerous stunts. I could punch holes in the realism of this movie all day. That particular scene is just one of many death defying stunts they perform. If you remember those similar types of insane antics found in the TV series, all you have to do is multiply that times ten.

Aside from the dizzying distractions, the second act allows the story to marinade. Yes, that’s right you heard me, it does have a story. You follow the gruesome foursome on a new mission: trying to track down stolen U.S. currency printing plates. The writers pull the old double-crossing the double crosser story trick in an attempt to steal the audience’s attention for just a bit. To be honest, the characters are the duct tape that held the twisted plot together. In actuality, it does work to a certain degree. If it weren’t for a few well-known faces, I feel the whole film would have been even more disastrous.

The personalities are alive and well in the likes of Neeson, Cooper, Jackson and Copley. Avid viewers of the series remember Hannibal as the man with the master plan. His mission briefings are almost always clear, concise and to the point -- even if those missions are suicidal to take on. Like the TV show’s George Peppard, Neeson has embodied Col. Smith, for which he portrayed the character in a much smoother, yet confident manner. UFC mixed martial artist-turned-actor, Quinton “Rampage” Jackson feels like a B.A. Baracus; only he turns out to be a one note character spouting off the same catch phrases like “I’m gonna kill you, fool” or “this is bullsh**t.” All through the movie, that’s all you remember of him. Mr. T – the TV show’s original B.A. -- would be slightly disappointed.

“The Hangover’s” Bradley Cooper made the perfect Face, even though he’s no Dirk Benedict, who played Face on the TV series. Cooper is definitely masculine enough for the female audience to catch an eye full, but he didn’t have the suave attitude as Benedict did in the role. And as for Sharlto Copley playing “Howling Mad” Murdock, he is surely a nut case. Sure people would prefer TV’s Dwight Schultz, but you have to remember this is a remake, and Copley brings a refreshing nuttiness to the character.

Top mixed martial artist Quinton "Rampage" Jackson portrays B.A. Baracus, the A-Team's "muscle."
Photo credit: Doug Curran

If you compared the new actors to the old actors, fellow movie reviewer and Sidewalks’ producer/host Richard R. Lee thought the new guys did an exceptional job in bringing alive their TV counterparts – maybe a little too close. Neeson had the look and feel of Peppard’s Hannibal and Jackson had the similar dialogue, the body shape and hair (as well as B.A.’s fear of flying) as with Mr. T. Lee thought the writers could have changed the characters a little bit as the movie progressed or give the new actors a chance to enhance the characters, but, sadly, the writers didn’t.

For people wondering if there are cameos from the original TV cast (Peppard died in 1994), only Benedict and Schultz make very quick cameos with their respective characters – at the end of the credits. Yes, at the end. So, if you leave the theatre when the credits are rolling, you will miss their faces.

Over all, what this movie boils down to is a scattered loud explosive mess. It’s basically an action flick that pushes the envelope in stunt choreography. However, for those craving their next fix for a zany, adrenaline pumping thrill ride, this is right up their ally. I don’t feel “The A-Team” is a terrible movie; it’s just that for me the 2-hour running time wore on my nerves just a bit. Lee thought that the film was all action and no story. It went from one action scene to the next. Usually he likes those kinds of films, but after an hour of the same crazy action, he dozed off for a second.

For what it’s worth, I will give it a C + for the effort; however, despite a plot which ended pretty well. We’ve been there, done that.

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J.P. Langston is a member of "Sidewalks Entertainment" team primarily as a videographer. He loves movies, especially sci-fi horror and action comedies. Some of his favorite films include "Blade Runner" "The Matrix Trilogy," The (original) "Star Wars," "Equilibrium," "Serenity," "Kill Bill Vols 1 and 2," "Appleseed," "Unbreakable" and "Sin City." He has a large DVD collection, which is still growing. Since reviewing films for "Sidewalks," he has been expanding his palette for all types of films.

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Richard R. Lee is the creator, executive producer and occasional on-air personality for the "Sidewalks Entertainment" project. His primary interest is in television programming and TV news. Although he views a variety of programs, he enjoys primarily sci-fi, comedy and adventure series, such as "Star Trek," "Firefly," "Battlestar Galactica," "Jericho," "Alien Nation," "Bosom Buddies," and "MacGyver." Additionally, he samples many of the entertainment talk shows and has seen many of the biggest shows hosted by Johnny Carson, David Letterman, Arsenio Hall, and Jay Leno.