DeniReview: The Losers - are actually winners!
May 1st 2010 11:35
Category: Adventure
Rating ****(4) our of 5 Stars
Finally! A tough-guy action movie that gets it right!
"The Losers" follows five men Clay (Jeffery Dean Morgan), Jensen (Chris Evans), Roque (Idris Elba), Pooch (Christopher Short) and Cougar (Oscar Jaenada) on a mission to thwart a drug lord in Bolivia, but when they see a bus full of kids arrive at their scheduled target, all bets are off. The kids must be rescued. Once they escort the kids safe and sound to the rendezvous, the mysterious "Max" (Jason Patrick) orders the bombing of the compound and the helicopter carrying the children takes a hit. There are no survivors and the Losers are declared dead.
This is a fun ride with a perfectly pitched action to plot ratio and it's not all fun and games - this movie really works! What stands out the most is the comradery of the men. You actually feel the shared history - a strong bond that's not really spelled out but it's there in the wise cracks and the funny anecdotes. Each character has his own special skill and place within the group and without one, all suffer. When a beautiful stranger, Aisha (Zoe Saldana) comes calling with a proposition, the tension is felt amongst the men like a protective barrier. She knows who Max is and with her help they can reclaim their identity and return to the states for revenge, but - is she trustworthy?
The action hero genre started with good intentions many years ago. The quiet hero who convincingly kicked ass and ask questions later - but he also got his fair share of knocks and bruises and even revealed a soft side - then Clint Eastwood uttered that famous catch-phrase and all hell broke loose and the change started and not for the better.
The action hero became a nauseating caricature of arrogance with superhuman strength, a one man wrecking machine who survived a rain of bullets without getting hit once or who miraculously overcame multiple thugs in a fight to the death brawl without breaking a sweat, the end result was always the same, his only injury - a scratched bruise over his brow - conveniently dispensed with via a handy band-aide. But what was even worse was the silly macho-phrases that followed a daring feat. No one came close to Eastwood's "Go ahead, make my day!". Well Bruce Willis was a close second with "Yippy Ki-ya M@#%&*" in "Die Hard". The Losers have their fair share of such macho-isms but they are not contrived! But best about this film is that it's a team effort - there is no one-man army or super soldier.
Times have changed and audiences have become a bit more desensitized and skeptical of the tomfoolery to revisit the flesh and blood action heroes of years ago. It's too bad that "The Losers" did not fare too well at the Box Office - as a matter of fact, it's a down-right shame.
Everyone gives a fantastic performance but for me, it was really eye-opening and quite pleasant to see Jason Patric finally take on a less intense and more comedic role as the nasty villain - complete with a somewhat annoying corporate twang. I'm growing quite fond of Chris Evans, his Jensen is on "fire" - what a perfect preview of acting chops for the future "Captain America".
The movie was directed by Sylvain White. His only other notable film was "Stomp The Yard" - it's pretty clear that he's on his way to making his mark as a visual director. I look forward to seeing what's next with him.
So, if you are undecided on what to see over the weekend, and in the mood for a good "ride", do yourself a favor and check out "The Losers".
Finally! A tough-guy action movie that gets it right!
"The Losers" follows five men Clay (Jeffery Dean Morgan), Jensen (Chris Evans), Roque (Idris Elba), Pooch (Christopher Short) and Cougar (Oscar Jaenada) on a mission to thwart a drug lord in Bolivia, but when they see a bus full of kids arrive at their scheduled target, all bets are off. The kids must be rescued. Once they escort the kids safe and sound to the rendezvous, the mysterious "Max" (Jason Patrick) orders the bombing of the compound and the helicopter carrying the children takes a hit. There are no survivors and the Losers are declared dead.
This is a fun ride with a perfectly pitched action to plot ratio and it's not all fun and games - this movie really works! What stands out the most is the comradery of the men. You actually feel the shared history - a strong bond that's not really spelled out but it's there in the wise cracks and the funny anecdotes. Each character has his own special skill and place within the group and without one, all suffer. When a beautiful stranger, Aisha (Zoe Saldana) comes calling with a proposition, the tension is felt amongst the men like a protective barrier. She knows who Max is and with her help they can reclaim their identity and return to the states for revenge, but - is she trustworthy?
The action hero genre started with good intentions many years ago. The quiet hero who convincingly kicked ass and ask questions later - but he also got his fair share of knocks and bruises and even revealed a soft side - then Clint Eastwood uttered that famous catch-phrase and all hell broke loose and the change started and not for the better.
The action hero became a nauseating caricature of arrogance with superhuman strength, a one man wrecking machine who survived a rain of bullets without getting hit once or who miraculously overcame multiple thugs in a fight to the death brawl without breaking a sweat, the end result was always the same, his only injury - a scratched bruise over his brow - conveniently dispensed with via a handy band-aide. But what was even worse was the silly macho-phrases that followed a daring feat. No one came close to Eastwood's "Go ahead, make my day!". Well Bruce Willis was a close second with "Yippy Ki-ya M@#%&*" in "Die Hard". The Losers have their fair share of such macho-isms but they are not contrived! But best about this film is that it's a team effort - there is no one-man army or super soldier.
Times have changed and audiences have become a bit more desensitized and skeptical of the tomfoolery to revisit the flesh and blood action heroes of years ago. It's too bad that "The Losers" did not fare too well at the Box Office - as a matter of fact, it's a down-right shame.
Everyone gives a fantastic performance but for me, it was really eye-opening and quite pleasant to see Jason Patric finally take on a less intense and more comedic role as the nasty villain - complete with a somewhat annoying corporate twang. I'm growing quite fond of Chris Evans, his Jensen is on "fire" - what a perfect preview of acting chops for the future "Captain America".
The movie was directed by Sylvain White. His only other notable film was "Stomp The Yard" - it's pretty clear that he's on his way to making his mark as a visual director. I look forward to seeing what's next with him.
So, if you are undecided on what to see over the weekend, and in the mood for a good "ride", do yourself a favor and check out "The Losers".
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Comment by JohnDoe
Film & TV on DVD
This one attracted me with the name Jason Patric in the cast. The trailer made it look like a light distraction I may get a giggle from, will come back once I have seen it with a final verdict.
Comment by Deni
Abstract Magick
Cinema Herald
It's definitely a light distraction and nothing more.