Viewed – 06 December 2010  Blu-ray

I was a big fan of The A-Team when it was a popular Saturday afternoon TV series back in the eighties.  It was fun with likable wise-cracking characters and plenty of personality.  So this has been a long time in coming, even to the point that many who might stumble upon this may not even know the series that inspired it.  Which is sad because this movie’s major strength is how closely it resembles the show, with each casting perfectly capturing what made each character work twenty odd years ago.

Colonel Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson) and his team of mercenaries for hire, namely B.A. Baracus (Quinton ‘rampage’ Jackson), H.M. Murdock (Sharlto Copley) and Templeton ‘Face’ Peck (Bradley Cooper) are wrongly accused of stealing a set of priceless printing plates.  Giving away nothing, the team soon escape and have to hunt down the real culprit whilst attempting to clear their name.  The story as you can probably guess, is scribble-on-a-napkin basic, but that’s not why we’re here, is it?  What we want, as fans of the show is one-liners, memorable moments and cool action – and in that respect, this sooooo delivers.  The action, frenetic camera work aside, is stylish and expertly put together, with the sky scraper attack a particular breathtaking highlight, and each character is likable and has each their moment to shine.  Murdock is funny, Face is charismatic, B.A. knows how to crack skulls, and Hannibal is the iconic leader, with a great, scenery chewing performance from a near unrecognisable Liam Neeson.

But, and this comes with a heavy heart – this is a movie that really wants to blow you away and leave you begging for more, and whilst in a way it does (the tank sequence has to be seen to be believed), the confusing story, non-existent characterisation and sheer over the top element to each set piece, left me feeling that this was more like a Saturday morning cartoon than that much-loved TV series I’d grown up with.  Two hours whizz by, granted, and it’s certainly entertaining, but this is a movie made for the most undemanding viewer imaginable and has no depth or shred of emotion other than pure adrenaline.  Which is no bad thing, but face it, this could have been a whole lot more!

Verdict:  3 /5

Related Articles

• Copley on playing A-Team’s Murdock (bbc.co.uk)
• The A-Team Blows Up Blu-Ray December 14th (cinemablend.com)