Letters From The Film Front 2

Nothing To Lose:

Late last night, I watched the newly minted action team flick The Losers. I found myself at the offset cynically thinking about the number of action team related films coming out this year – For the nostalgic crowd The A-Team remake, upcoming action buff love fest The Expendables and for the alternative quasi-comic book followers comes The Losers. Just what the trailer had told me – That a group of elite soldiers had been framed but escaped, who are now on the run, and if you’ve got a problem and if you can – oh no wait. Sorry. All joking aside and whatever the motivation for this movie, this film looked like an entertaining side booth for those not overly excited about the A Team or any film involving Sly Stallone, so I thought what the hell, I’ll give it a shot. 1 hour and 40 minutes later, I was left with a decidedly pedestrian view of the whole thing.

Aside from the trailer showing the best and most exciting seconds of the film (but that’s my own personal hatred of trailers for you), what’s left of the film is either less exciting than hoped or less impacting than a sponge salad. You remember all those films that rushed everything? You realise they’re going in for the big battle and its only an hour in? I guess that was my biggest problem with this film – it’s all over far too quickly and you’re left with 8 pounds out of your pocket, half you’re popcorn left and another hour to kill.

The acting, such as it ever is in an action film, was a fun distraction but nothing special – the best part probably being Chris Evan’s failed attempts to act natural (we have all been in the same situation). As I say, the film was nothing special to me. But looking back at the over acting villain, the gratuitous explosions and classic action film archetypes, I wonder if the point of this movie is to create an alternative 80s throwback, complete with melodrama, romance and black stereotypes; a flashback to the film that never happened, but maybe should have. Like I said, this is truly a film for those hoping to avoid The A-team’s sentimentality or The Expendables inevitable bare chested 50 year old action star’s:

This film never claimed to be about winners, for winners or even be a winner. Its The Losers, exactly what it says on this tin. And if you’ve got 100 minutes and a tenner to spare, then you’ve got nothing to lose.

Rating: An eventual 6.5/10

SMT