Soldiers of Fortune

I don’t know what you did on Father’s Day, but I had breakfast with my dad, and dinner with my in-laws. After dinner was over, though, I suggested we go to the movies, and I asked if my in-laws would want to come along. My mother-in-law declined, but my father-in-law was enthusiastic, especially when I mentioned that we might catch The A-Team. We should have probably filled out a psych profile before we went, though.

Though my father in law is a business manager and a deacon in the church he belongs to, he loves a good action film, and on that front, A-Team delivers. In fact, A-Team delivers on all the fronts set up by the Stephen J. Cannell-penned show, albeit transplanted to more recent times. Makes sense, as Cannell was a producer on this film. The genesis of the A-Team is shown for what I believe may be the first time ever, and instead of the team being framed for something they didn’t do in the jungles of Vietnam, they are framed for something they didn’t do in the deserts of Iraq. That doesn’t give much away, in terms of execution of the plot, but I won’t say more, as I want all you MLD readers to go see it!

I was a fan of the 1980s show, and so I was looking at the movie with a critical eye. What I can say without giving away some of the fun is that the chemistry is not QUITE there in this particular ensemble, but that comes more with the territory of the day-in, day-out work on a television show that runs for several years, rather than the several month stretch of working on a film. There’s also a little darker, crazier edge to Bradley Cooper’s Faceman than in Dirk Benedict’s portrayal from the TV show. I have to say it works, though, as I never quite bought Face as an ex-Army Ranger as played by Benedict. Too smooth. Cooper has a lot of that smoothness, but also gets a little unhinged during some of the battle sequences. Sharlto Copley did an excellent job as Murdock, playing up the more goofy angles of the character which I always thought Dwight Schultz could have done more with. Though I love Liam Neeson, he wasn’t nearly as charming as the late George Peppard was in the role of Colonel Hannibal Smith, but given his recent turn in movies like Taken, completely believable as fighting man/tactician.

And, he looks just as good smoking a cigar as Peppard did.

So how does former MMA fighter Rampage Jackson stack up to the classic bad-assery of Mr. T? Other than the goofy PITY and FOOL tattoos on his knuckles, pretty well, I’d say, though to be honest, both Mr. T and Rampage are mostly on screen to look tough, say tough things, and mostly brood silently when not in action. Also, if fans of the TV show ever wondered why B.A. is afraid of flying, the film answers this in one of the early, and totally bad-ass, action sequences.

Oh, and if you like Jessica Biel, yep… she’s in it. And quite the looker as a brunette, if you like that sort of thing. And I do. Believable? Ehhhhh… did I mention she was a looker?

My determination: this movie about soldiers of fortune is immense fun. It satisifies the fans of the TV show, but translates well for new fans that have never seen the program. If you need a movie to see, if nothing else looks good, and you can find a theater to see it in, maybe you can (and should) watch… the A-Team! [cue machine gun fire]