The Losers Review

After being betrayed, members of an elite black ops unit blow up a bunch of stuff and make a lot of jokes as they seek to clear their names and look for some payback.

Yes, I realize the big-screen adaptation of “The A-Team” doesn’t come out for a few more months — I’m actually talking about “The Losers.”

I can understand the confusion. “The A-Team” movie is directed by Joe Carnahan (“Smokin’ Aces”), and “The Losers” — based on a comic book series of the same name — pretty much looks like the best Joe Carnahan movie he never actually bothered to make.

I promise I don’t mean that as an insult. If “The A-Team” aspires to be the highest form of mindless summer action movie, then “The Losers” comes off like its less-ambitious, but no less entertaining younger brother (which doesn’t quite have the name brand or star power to open in the summer months). It’s basically a B-grade “A-Team.”

Enough about “The A-Team”, let’s talk about the flick at hand.

“The Losers” stars Jeffrey Dean Morgan (“Watchmen”) as Clay, the leader of a ridiculously skilled five-man squad who call themselves the Losers. After surviving an attempt on their life in South America, the Losers are approached by the shadowy Aisha (Zoe Saldana, “Avatar”) who offers them the chance to return to the United States and get revenge on the mysterious man (a wonderfully eccentric Jason Patric) who tried to have them killed.

Director Sylvain White - working with a relatively modest $25 million budget - does some really impressive stuff with his action sequences. Although White can’t keep from revisiting some of the action-movie clichés he probably thinks he’s spoofing (over-the-top explosions; having the characters fly through the air or walk toward the camera in slow motion), the energy and joy behind some of the set pieces make up for whatever lack of originality. I particularly enjoyed the sequence where Chris Evans’ Jensen has to sneak into a heavily guarded building. The movie’s climactic showdown is also a showstopper.

Another reason the movie works is because the main cast members actually make you believe they’re friends. Morgan – who has done strong work on TV for years, and gave a star-making performance in “Watchmen” – gives an appealingly crumpled yet authoritative performance as Clay. Thinking back on it, he doesn’t end up doing or saying as much you’d expect from the lead in an action movie, but he still commands the rest of the cast convincingly.

He has decent support from Idris Elba (who is still looking for a role as worthy of his talents as Stringer Bell was in “The Wire”), Columbus Short, as the put-upon family man of the group, and Evans, as the designated comic relief. I expected Jensen’s shtick to get irritating really quickly, but Evans’ charm ended up winning the day. Oscar Jaenada didn’t have much to do other than shoot his sniper rifle and tip his hat.

Zoe Saldana was convincing in her tough chick role – she’s one of a handful of Hollywood actresses in her 20’s today who can believably hold her own in a testosterone-fuled action movie like this one – but her shady character (maybe by design) left me hollow.

Finally, there’s Patric - taking a small taste of the scenery, putting a little hot sauce on it, and then taking a gigantic bite – as bad guy Max. I realize some people will hate his oddball performance, but I loved it. As I mentioned before, he goes over the top, but he does so in a very meticulous, contained and specific way that makes his performance both amusing and exciting (and ridiculous).

Then again, this is a thoroughly ridiculous movie. “The Losers” isn’t trying to re-invent the action movie wheel. It’s just out to deliver some explosions, some laughs, and some one-liners (“Can you walk?”) I don’t really need too much more from an April action movie.

The Losers…B