Sunday, June 20, 2010

“Full-tilt action blast makes 'A-Team' big summer fun”

“Full-tilt action blast makes 'A-Team' big summer fun”

Full-tilt action blast makes 'A-Team' big summer fun

Posted: 19 Jun 2010 10:23 PM PDT



 



THE A-TEAM (Rated PG-13)


Another blast from the past arrives on the big screen with the movie adaptation of the popular 1980s TV series "The A-Team."


To be sure, the original program, which ran successfully for five seasons, was a cheesy action adventure in which the violence was primarily cartoonish. Nobody ever seemed to get hit by flying bullets during the standard shootouts.


Members of the A-Team were former Army Special Forces soldiers falsely accused of war crimes, causing them to go underground.


On the lam and constantly pursued by military police, the A-Team became benevolent soldiers of fortune recruited in each episode to right some wrongs and to help decent people oppressed by street thugs or more sophisticated criminal enterprises.


For the theatrical version of "The A-Team" the formula remains essentially unchanged, albeit updated to modern times. The crack unit of former commandos is made up of veterans of the Iraq war, not Vietnam.


George Peppard is no longer the unorthodox Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith; the part now goes to Liam Neeson, who is equally adept at concocting unconventional but effective plans.


Bradley Cooper replaces Dirk Benedict as the handsome con man Lt. Templeton "Face" Peck, irresistible to all women except former girlfriends who happen to be in the Army.


Mixed martial arts champion Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, minus the 50 pounds of gold chains, takes on the role of muscle man and mechanic Sgt. B.A. Baracus, replacing the iconic Mr. T.


South African actor Sharlto Copley ("District 9") proves to be just as nutty as Dwight Schultz in the role of Captain H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock, the team's pilot.


The plot is a bit convoluted, but it sets up the guys for a big operation in Baghdad, where they are assigned a secret mission by their commanding officer (Gerald McRaney) to smash a counterfeiting operation and retrieve the engraving plates.


In their capacity as Army Rangers, the A-Team members combine their skills and talents for an initially successful effort, only to be double-crossed and set up as fall guys.


The bad guys are not easily identified, but from the start it is obvious that the sleazy contractor Pike (Brian Bloom) is up to no good. The four soldiers are sent to separate maximum security prisons, but then we already know that there is no prison that can hold these men.


A mysterious CIA agent named Lynch (Patrick Wilson), initially committed to busting up the counterfeit ring, turns into an increasingly complex and conflicted operator as he puts the A-Team on the trail of the villainous Pike. For his part, Pike is a straight-up jerk, more and more an annoying adversary richly deserving of a grand comeuppance.


Then, there's the problem of Face's old flame, Captain Charisa Sosa (Jessica Biel), possessing the nicest pair of legs in the Army, who may have her doubts about the innocence of the A-Team but nonetheless gets demoted to Lieutenant for her coziness with these renegades.


As the A-Team members desperately chase bad guys across the globe in attempts to clear their names, the action ratchets up every step of the way.


On one occasion, Murdock and the team hijack a huge cargo plan equipped with a tank, only to later fall out of the sky inside the same tank in a plunge into a lake in Germany.


In an effort to retrieve the stolen engraving plates, the team members stage a daring assault on a high-rise building which results in an adrenaline-charged blast of superb action. It's topped off with a spectacular car chase that is reminiscent of the "Bourne" franchise.


Plenty of mind-blowing action happens before the climactic showdown at the Los Angeles Port, involving sleight of hand with huge cargo containers.


"The A-Team" is such a total blast of wonderfully explosive action that the plot flaws are forgivable. This is near perfect summer entertainment, and I pity the fool who doesn't find the great fun in this totally unserious bit of cartoonish violence and B-movie histrionics.


Director Joe Carnahan has a winner on his hands, probably big enough to propel "The A-Team" into a new movie franchise.


DVD RELEASE UPDATE


To counter the testosterone-fueled summer action movies, let's look at the heartwarming, critically-acclaimed family drama of the TV series "Everwood."


The Emmy nominated series stars Treat Williams, Gregory Smith and Vivien Cardone as a family tackling life's hard issues as they build a new life in the Rocky Mountain town of Everwood.


Warner Home Video is now releasing "Everwood: the Complete Third Season" on DVD, including all 22 episodes, along with never-before-seen unaired scenes and bloopers.


For the third season, love is in the clear mountain air of Everwood.


Back from a troubled summer at Juillard, Ephram commits himself to his music and to Amy. Andy is drawn to a patient's wife – and into an ethical dilemma.


Dr. Jake Hartman moves into town and starts eating a lot of pancakes, as long as Nina's serving them up.


But don't expect love to conquer all, especially when the secret Andy kept from Ephram last season comes spilling out.


On second thought, this DVD set may contain too much romantic drama, at least for me. I noticed on the Internet that I could purchase all five seasons of "The A-Team" in one giant set.


Tim Riley writes film and movie reviews for Lake County News.



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