The A-Team
"I would never tell him this, but they are the best at what they do, and they specialize in the ridiculous." - Captain Sosa
release year: 2010
genre: action
viewing setting: home Bluray 11/23/19 and 11/9/17 and 7/26/14 and home DVD, 9/18/12 and 1/9/12 and 12/17/10, and theater, 6/12/10
synopsis: Four highly-capable soldiers are framed and imprisoned, but escape so they can bring the actual criminals to justice.
impressions: This was great. I don't care what Roger Ebert says (and, as I've proven before, he doesn't pay attention all the time, which is fine except when he misses something and then covers his confusion with a negative review.) This was a grown-up version of the classic TV show, with real violence, real shooting, real danger, and a real plot. The only thing that was over-the-top was some of the action, but there's nothing wrong with that. It's worth noting that the extended version (which is what I saw the second time, via home DVD) has a bunch of little extra bits that, in my opinion, make this a much better movie. The film's greatest strength is the chemistry between its four leads, evidenced by dozens of little you'll-miss-it-if-you-blink quips and jokes. It's just a whole lot of fun to watch.
something this movie has that no other movie has: A battle between a parachuting tank and airplanes.
acting: Liam Neeson was good as the always-thinking leader. Bradley Cooper was excellent as the charismatic con man. Quinton Jackson of UFC fame did a pretty good job filling the shoes of 1980s tough guy Mr. T. Sharlto Copley was quite entertaining as the crazy pilot. Jessica Biel was the serious, dogged military cop pursuing the team. Patrick Wilson was a decent CIA bad guy with some great lines. Brian Bloom was a strong, believable mercenary bad guy.
final word: Outstanding.
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