LOSERS, THE
(director/writer: Sylvain White; screenwriters: Peter Berg, James Vanderbilt,based on the comic-book series written by Andy Diggle, illustrated by Jock and published by DC Comics/Vertigo; cinematographer:Scott Kevan; editor:David Checel; music:John Ottman; cast:Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Clay), Zoë Saldana (Aisha), Chris Evans (Jensen), Idris Elba (Roque), Columbus Short (Pooch), Oscar Jaenada (Cougar), Holt McCallany (Wade), Jason Patric(Max); Runtime: 97; MPAA Rating: PG-13; producers:Joel Silver, Akiva Goldsman, Kerry Foster;Warner Brothers; 2010)
“If ever a title was perfect.”
Reviewed by Dennis Schwartz
French director Sylvain White (“Stomp The Yard”/”Slender Man”) and writers Peter Berg and James Vanderbilt base their macho action/comedy on the comic-book series from DC Comics/Vertigo that’s written by Andy Diggle. But they can never upgrade the comic-book story to rise above mediocrity.
An elite covert five-man black-ops team is on a search-and-destroy mission to the Bolivian jungle to take down a drug lord’s compound where they’re betrayed by their deranged CIA boss Max (Jason Patric), giving an over-the-top sicko performance. He refuses to abort the mission when told by the commandos they spotted a school bus with trafficked kids at the compound. As a result, the kids are killed by an air strike trying to escape on a helicopter, meant for the commandos’ escape. The commandos are seemingly left for dead, with Max thinking they were on the helicopter. When back in the States, they want to clear their names of this botched mission and get revenge on Max.
Their colonel team leader is Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the techie is Jensen (Chris Evans), the charismatic Roque (Idris Elba) is the demolition man, the driver-pilot is Pooch (Columbus Short) and the sniper is Cougar (Oscar Jaenada). They’re also joined in their fight by the shady, ultra-fighter and sexy mystery woman named Aisha (Zoë Saldana). All the characters are one-dimensional bores. The romantic subplot between Clay and Aisha is about as leaden as the film. Its cartoonish set pieces have inferior CGIs and the action sequences are unconvincing.
The black-ops team track Max and his repulsive assistant, Wade (Holt McCallany), from Miami to Los Angeles. When they catch up with Max at an LA airport, they must overcome being betrayed and led into a trap by one of their own soldiers, and must stop the psychopath and his goon squad from stealing a weapon of mass destruction and a billion dollars from a CIA warehouse.
To say that there are wide plot holes in this film, is like saying the obvious. To say this film sucks, is like saying a Michael Bay pic would look like an art film in comparison. The A-Team, a similar type of action pic, followed shortly after and was considerably better.
If there’s fun in it, I couldn’t find it. The absurd film is meant to be a mindless escapist entertainment experience filled with relentless explosions, unrealistic heroic gunfights and a simplistic story.
If ever a title was perfect.
REVIEWED ON 8/14/2024 GRADE: C-
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