David O'ConnellThe Losers
May 27th 2010 02:33
Bold, brash and loud, The Losers performs a death-defying leap from the pages of a comic book series onto the big screen. It’s a familiar tale for those venturing into cinemas of late, but unlike the recent Kick-Ass, you’ll be checking your brain in at the door if you expect to wind up on the same wavelength as Frenchman Sylvain White’s artificial, energized, over-inflated romp. Based on Andy Diggle’s DC comic, it's been adapted with blunt comedic force by Peter Berg and James Vanderbilt.
We first meet The Losers, a ragtag quintet of military soldiers, whilst they're undertaking a routine mission in the Bolivian jungle under the command of their team leader Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). When a load of 25 children unexpectedly arrive at the location they’re about to raid, their collective conscience is pricked. Ultimately they refuse to proceed; instead performing a risky recovery of the children before the premises is blown sky-high.
Their backtracking raises the ire of the shadowy Max (Jason Patric), a powerful man seemingly with ties to every government organization on earth, legitimate or not. This master manipulator utilises his insuperable authority to destroy the site anyway, including the chopper - with its load of children - that the Losers were supposed to be aboard.
Thought to be dead and framed for the murder of the children, The Losers are now stranded in anonymity in Bolivia. However, a saviour emerges in the shape of shady, ambivalent co-op agent Aisha (Zoe Saldana) who proposes a deal to the group that will fund their return to the States where, returning the favour, they will use their training and resources to hunt down and exterminate Max.
Tarantino styled slo-mo montage
The Losers is a ludicrous vendetta enactment, an assault on the senses that tosses realism out the window in its opening moments. Keeping its comic-book origins in mind then, you really should expect nothing less than a spasmodic, all-guns-blazing, sensory-overload. White’s approach is to tackle the source material in a fast and loose manner, blaring adrenaline-pumping loud music over scenes that are edited to within an inch of their lives. The result is a deliriously kinetic film that does occasionally take time to slow down and smell the roses before leaping into the next set-piece.
The action never stays in the one location too long, meaning a series of often idiotic globe-trotting adventures for Clay and his men who consist of joker-in-the-pack Jensen (Chris Evans), the fearsome Roque (Idris Elba), quiet achiever and sharpshooter Cougar (Oscar Jaenada) and family man Pooch (Columbus Short). Each has their area of expertise which is put into use at the appropriate time as Max’s whereabouts is tracked down.
Though it contributes absolutely nothing original to the art of cinema, The Losers is a delicious comedic blast of sound and fury. There's no denying it relies on a stylistic approach cribbed from every other action film from the Michael Bay and Tony Scott schools of brain-dampening entertainment, but in this case the formula has produced something that exceeds all expectations. The main characters, seemingly feted for obnoxious excesses in the early scenes, prove to be an appealing gang of competent misfits by the end.
Zoe Saldana as Aishi
Performances are solid across the board, skillfully balancing menace with cool; this is no better personified than in the case of Morgan who showcases some serious screen presence. Evans plays the idiot with ease, and with better material to work with than in the lame Fantastic Four films, he actually comes across favourably as the class clown he’s meant to be.
Patric is a riot as the flighty, sarcastic Max who, ordering mass execution with a finger-snap, proves to be as untouchable as the President. Stripped of her blue suit from Avatar, Saldana shows off her manifold wares and physical dexterity – in more ways than one.
The final showdown, whilst providing a couple of classic cartoonish, perfectly orchestrated moments of death and destruction, doesn’t do itself any favours by leaving just a tiny little thread unresolved, with urgings of promise-us-a-sequel written all over it. That comes as a minor disappointment for a film that mostly delivers in spades, in a spectacular and entertaining fashion.
The Losers opens in Australian cinemas today, May 27.
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Comment by Deni
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
Comment by David O'Connell
20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by David O'Connell
20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic
Comment by Bryn
Horrorphile
Comment by Deni
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
Comment by David O'Connell
20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic
And Bryn, yeah massively disappointed. Won't be touching another Iron Man film with a barge pole!
Comment by Matt Shea
Comment by ShaunK
Screen Adventure
Comment by David O'Connell
20/20 Filmsight
Screen Fanatic
You and Shaun could do worse than check out The Losers if you're in the right mood for some humourous, dumbed-down action. If not, steer clear.