“The Losers” is an action-comedy and loose adaptation of the DC Comics series of the same name, but it is not a superhero comic. Rather, the film is about a team of Special Forces who are just really good at what they do.
The movie starts with one of the most efficiently effective yet cool movie introductions to date, introducing the five members of the squadron, the Losers, in rapid succession, while also quickly establishing the personality of each character. There is Pooch (Columbus Short), the laid back driver, Cougar (Oscar Jaenada), the quiet yet cool sniper, Jensen (Chris Evans), the witty computer ace, Roque (Idris Elba), the angry second in command, and Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), your all around average-Joe leader.
The plot begins when the Losers, betrayed after being sent into the Bolivian jungle to eliminate a target, plot revenge against the mysterious agent who was behind the entire operation, known only as Max (Jason Patric). The group, presumed dead, hole up in a Bolivian village to figure out their next move when Aisha (Zoe Saldana), a woman also seeking revenge on Max, confronts them. Aisha and the team pair up and go after Max as he plots a terrorist action involving new weapons technology.
There is not much more to the movie’s plot than that. There are few plot twists and the plot itself is an action movie cliché if there ever was one. With any action movie though, the plot tends to be the least important aspect, and the emphasis is more on cool action scenes and how fun the movie is to sit down and watch.
Many of the scenes throughout the flick pay homage to other action movies such as “Crank” and the James Bond series. The first scene of the movie is an over-the-top shootout and starts the film off on a strong foot, as it continues to dish out more exciting action scenes.
Witty humor is possibly the biggest strength this movie has to offer, but it also turns out to be its biggest weakness. Evans’ character often makes some laugh-out-loud comments and Patric’s quirky take on the action movie villain is appreciable. The movie stays funny throughout and manages to successfully incorporate a few running gags, as well – including the team’s apparent obsession with yellow vehicles. However, the movie seems to put too much emphasis on this aspect, and it ends up detracting from the action somewhat.
Unfortunately, the timing of this movie could not be worse, as it is foreshadowed by the upcoming release of “The A-Team,” which is looking to be everything this movie could have been.
“The Losers” is Sylvain White’s fifth foray into directing and his first into making an action movie, and for that he must be applauded. While it is nothing groundbreaking, the movie is an enjoyable flick and contains a few memorable scenes. Not much about the movie is original, but it ends up being a slight cut above the average action film.
“The Losers” is this summer’s prelude action movie, fun but forgettable. If you have time, it is worth checking out, but otherwise just wait for “The A-Team.”
Tappan Parker can be reached at [email protected]
