I grew up with The A-Team on TV. For the life of me, I couldn't tell you the plot of a single episode, but I remember enjoying the over-the-top antics enough that it stuck with me. I usually take re-issues of my childhood memories with all of the excitement of a dog going to the vet, but decided the lack of a firm connection (as compared, to say, Transformers) to the original would alleviate my usual issues.
I saw The A-Team in theaters and liked it. I wasn't blown away by it, but I didn't want to walk out of the theatre either. When it came up for review, I decided to jump right in and give it another whirl. Though I only sort of enjoyed it in the theater, I loved it enough to watch both the Theatrical and Extended versions in one sitting.
The A-Team plays out like a three-part episode of the show. Each act tells its own story, with a common thread stringing them together in a unifying story arc. The first act is an introduction to the team and serves as an origin story. We're introduced to Col. Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson) and "Face" Peck (Bradley Cooper), U.S. Special Forces Operators working to take down renegade General Javier Tuco (Yul Vazquez).
Hannibal's best-laid plans are goofed up by Peck's libido, resulting in Hannibal enlisting Army Ranger Bosco "B.A." Baracus (Quinton "Rampage" Jackson) as a wheelman and pilot H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock (Sharlto Copley) to help bring Tuco down.
Years later, the quartet is still together as a covert ops group in the U.S. military. The guys are approached by C.I.A. Agent "Lynch" (Patrick Wilson) and General Morrison (Gerald McRaney) and asked to steal back a set of counterfeiting plates from Baghdad. The plan comes together in the end, only to be derailed when Morrison is killed. Without Morrison to back their story up, the crew is court-martialed and sent to prison. Of course, Hannibal always has a plan, and the group breaks out to finish the mission.
The plot attempts to weave a more complex fabric than is necessary by introducing various factions and agencies. Rival mercenary Pike (Brian Bloom) is around as a foil while Captain Charissa Sosa (Jessica Biel) is around to provide a love interest and inject the audience's "You don't know who you're dealing with" point of view. Even with these tangled threads, it's pretty clear the movie's driving force is to see how many over-the-top action sequences it can throw at you (to quote Hannibal, "Overkill is Underrated"). Though not typically what I go for in a movie, I appreciate it when a film knows what its good at and pushes that aspect rather than trying to sell itself as something more. In the case of The A-Team, it's all about hollow action and the ship of fools interplay. It's the bastard love child of Ocean's Eleven and The Expendables.
Although the action sequences are what keep the movie going forward, the characters help keep it from veering into schlock territory. Sharlto Copley is the runaway star of the entire production. He steals every scene he's in and has some of the film's best lines. The rest do an adequate job, but are clearly playing up already defined roles. Liam Neeson is on cruise control through most of the movie. He's good, but you know he's capable of much more than he gives. Bradley Cooper is playing the same character he plays in every movie (only now he has military training), while "Rampage" Jackson is just trying to remember not to laugh (his words, not mine).
All four characters, and the actors that play them, are the focus of four short extras detailing different aspects of the film. "On the Set with Sharlto Copley" is the best of the bunch and focuses on Copley's attempts to act like a bigger star than he is. It's all played up tongue-in-cheek and a lot of fun. I'll stop short of declaring Copley a comedic genius, but he's a really funny guy.
Bradley Cooper's extra highlights the military training the cast underwent while prepping for the film. Apparently Cooper has become a gun nut and really took to the training. Fun fact: Cooper's reload time in the film is one of the fastest ever on film, beating out Val Kilmer's reload in Heat.
The final two, focusing in Neeson and Jackson, are just sort of there. Neeson takes the "veteran actor" approach and discusses his role and the interplay between the four characters. Jackson's, on the other hand, is all about The A-Team being his first role and the challenges involved with making the jump to film.
"Plan of Attack" is a short "Making of..." feature with director Joe Carnahan, the actors and other crew discussing how the film came together. This is joined by a short visual effects featurette where visual effects supervisor James Price leads viewers though a set of before-and-after shots. I'm a big time VFX nut, so I loved this sequence.
"The Devil is in the Details" is, hands down, my favorite extra of the bunch. This acts as the film's commentary track (with Carnahan), but also adds a set of interactive overlays in the letterbox areas. The top bar offers a series of drop-down menus detailing the guns and vehicles used in the scene. The bottom bar outlines the different steps in each operation along with a short countdown to when it finally "comes together."
Finally, there's a short gag reel, deleted scenes and a short montage of the film's biggest scenes backed by the original theme song.
The A-Team is the sort of movie you would expect to see on extended cable. As a theatrical release, it wouldn't be worth the time, but as something you can sit and enjoy at home with friends it's a blast, especially when viewed with friends. It's the type of movie where you want to laugh, cheer and otherwise cut up during. It may not be an Oscar contender, but The A-Team is still fun for what it aims for and offers.
