The Losers

Posted In: Cop Out

Galina Shirts says...

I love this movie like cake! Okay, yes, there's an extremely high body count, and a few moments that make me really uncomfortable, but those moments are all by the villain, who is so villainous that at least I can be fairly sure we're not supposed to think what he's doing is behavior to be emulated, so there's that.



I've seen some critics complain that the plot is familiar, and it is, but you know what? So are most plots. What matters is execution, and the execution in this film is terrific! The cast is wonderful, everyone has a great sense of comedic timing and is equally great at the subtle or dramatic moments as needed, and there's great chemistry among them. They're also all extremely easy on the eyes -- a definite bonus. The characters are interesting and fun, the dialog is snappy, and there are some surprisingly poignant moments. Zoe Saldana's character is absolutely awesome, especially in that -- unlike in so many movies of this type -- she's not just the love interest, and her motivations are entirely independent. The characters of the Losers themselves fit together like pieces of a terrific puzzle, and the little moments between them and among them really make them believable as a team who's been together through a LOT, which is one of the things I love most.



This is a great action/comedy/drama that is both really satisfying and makes you want more. I've cut way back on my DVD-buying since Netflix, but this is one I had to have! I've watched it many times, and will watch it many more. A+++, would buy again!



If you want to see more of what you'd be getting, you can probably find some clips on YouTube. Be wary of spoilers, though -- especially in the clip about how Jensen forgot his gun. That one contains a HUGE spoiler, so avoid it if possible.



The special features on the Blu-Ray disc are also great. The regular DVD only has one, which is also on the Blu-Ray disc, and is itself a very good feature, but if you like special features and have a Blu-Ray player or have been thinking about getting one, I recommend the Blu-Ray version. And let's face it, more and more releases are going to do this to us, where you can only get the really robust special features on the Blu-Ray. I bought a Playstation 3 so I could watch these and I don't regret it.



Of course, Dragon Age: Origins has eaten my life, because I got that for the PS3 not really thinking I'd play it much.... *eye-dart*

Posted on September 6, 2011

Nichole Scovil says...

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is the leader of a Special Forces unit and much like Hannibal in "the A Team" (I definitely see why there are comparisons made), he has a heart of gold underneath a very tough exterior. Anyway, while saving a group of children, his unit is betrayed by "Max" (a super bad guy). Following the leads where they go.....including to a very sexy and very mysterious Zoe Saldana, Clay sets out to find the truth and soon even he realizes that everything is not as it seems, and that the puppeteer may be closer than he initially thought. I thought that this was a great action/adventure movie. There were good guys/bad guys, a team of kick butt soldiers (Rogue, Pooch, Jensen and Cougar), a little romance, a lot of fight scenes, and twists and turns (with the plot). I also had no idea that this story was based on a comic book so that was a bonus. So, for a weekend flick....if you don't want anything too deep and dark, this is the flick for you. Especially if you enjoy Jeffrey Morgan, who I think is a decent actor but who seems to die in every movie or TV show that I have seen him in (for example, Supernatural, Grey's Anatomy, and Watchmen). And don't fear, he doesn't die in this one. I wonder will there be a sequel?

Posted on September 9, 2011

Loise Suski says...

On the surface, it's just another action movie. Stuff blows up, people get shot, the bad guy is trying to destroy the world and the good guys are trying to stop him. It's the perfect popcorn movie.



But take a closer look at The Losers and you'll start to see that there's more than just mindless entertainment going on here. It's not trying to deliver a message, thank god, and it's not an action movie with pretentions of being great art. But it's smart, well written and well acted, and that separates it from the last 10 action movies you paid good money to sit in the dark and stare at.



[...]

Posted on September 9, 2011

Karin Kross says...

Hollywood is sometimes down right weird!This year two movies with the same plot and same characters came out with in months of each other,The Losers and The A Team.The Losers is based on a comic book and the A Team well you know....When the A Team video comes out I will review it, but of the two, The Losers was the best.It is grittier and rougher arond the edges and true to its source the comic book. Edgy is the key word here.The Losers are a no nonsense group of men and woman.The whole picture is feels harsh , grimy, rough, and delibrately anti slick .



The characters are stero typical in many ways,BUT since they are not well known actors/faces they come across fresh and dare I say it "likeable."I am very inpressed with Morgan[Clay] the leader. His character has flaws and he is not always right.The "girl" is truly a badass and that is why during one "funny" scene the losers try to kill her.Oh the "sex" scene is really HOT, pun intended.



The action is enhanced by the use of different camera angles.The main thing I want to praise and bring attention to is the use of humor.Humor in films particularly action movies must never be forced or corny.It must flow out of the action and usually it is dead pan.The Losers does this right and it makes the funny lines sound natural and funnier.



If there was death match between the A Team and the Losers, it would be no contest..The Losers, they fight to win and they don't fight fair or try to trick you.



The credits were welcome and a nice touch.I hope there will be another film, but since this one didn't really make money, I doubt it.That is ashame because I would love to see this group again.

Posted on September 10, 2011

Dana Lemmonds says...

I saw this a few hours ago with a friend, and personally, I thought it was awesome! It was literally filled to the brim with action, comedy, and special effects. Clay, Roque, Jensen, Pooch, and Cougar are part of an elite United States Special Forces team that are on assignment in Bolivia. When they are betrayed by an enemy named Max, they become fugitives and are believed to be dead. They are forced to team up with a mysterious woman named Aisha who may be able to help them find Max. I understand this movie is based on a comic book by Vertigo, but I never read any, so I couldn't compare it. My favorite character was Chris Evans as Jensen, because he had all the hilarious lines. Another thing, was that this film reminds me a lot of 'The A-Team' If you love action, I highly recommend THE LOSERS!!!

Posted on September 11, 2011

Piper Whiter says...

This is a good action movie, and I was pleasantly surprised by the film when I saw it in the theaters. It keeps the core elements of the comic book series, and manages to not lose the books charm. You DON'T have to read the books to enjoy the movie, but if like the move, the books are even better.

Posted on September 11, 2011

Chery Zaborski says...

- Jensen (facing off against three armed security guards): "As the ancient Tibetan philosophy states, 'Don't start none... won't be none.'"



When a covert Special Forces op in Bolivia goes horribly south and they get framed for the murder of 25 Bolivian children, the Losers go rogue. Of course, it simplifies things that they're believed to be deceased. Languishing in Bolivia, destitute in Bolivia, the Losers run into the stunning Aisha, and she's their ticket back to stateside and also the means to achieve get-back on the bent CIA spook who set them up (the degenerate's name is "Max"). "Suicide mission" just might be understating things.



Comparisons to THE A-TEAM are inevitable (especially with THE A-TEAM remake coming out the same year), so I thought I'd mention that and be done with it. THE LOSERS is based on a comic book series off DC Comics' Vertigo line, which meant that it was a bit more edgy than your typical DC stuff. (Or maybe what I meant was that it didn't cater to the normal superhero sensibilities.) This story is adapted from the comic book's first arc "Ante Up," which I barely recollect except that the cast does such a good job that I'm sort of compelled to unearth my old LOSERS comic books and re-read.



It really is all about the cast. The story works off that run-of-the-mill "Let's Get Payback On That Bad Guy What Done Set Us Up" theme. It's shallow storytelling and stocked with plot reverses and double crosses, with snappy edits and hi-octane, over-the-top action sequences. The shifts in locales come with blurring speed, the story definitely globe trots, and so there's a bit of that disorienting factor for the viewer (or maybe the story convolutes that much). But the cast fuels the story, stamps it with a sense of cool, crackles it with energy. The cast is entirely compatible with their just-us-guys camaraderie (which Saldana then folds herself into). Jeffrey Dean Morgan as the team's leader Colonel Clay exhibits a world-weariness, and I don't know if he achieves that thru acting or because he's stubbled for the entire film, but it works. The charismatic Idris Elba is Roque, the second-in-command, and he becomes the catalyst for one of the film's sub-plots. Roque calls Clay's leadership skills into question. Things go downhill when Aisha shows up because Clay has had this history for having the most suspect taste in relationships with da ladies.



Of all the folks here, the most highly profiled are Zoe Saldana and Chris Evans, and they get meaty roles. Zoe Saldana is talented and exudes the hotness of a thousand exploding suns. She plays Aisha, the volatile, assskicking operative who hooks up with the Losers because they share the same agenda (which is ruining Max's day, shortening Max's life). I thought Chris Evans was fantastic and often funny as Jensen, the Losers' resident wise-cracking comms & tech expert. Evans without a doubt garners the most dialogue; his patter is non-stop. His T-shirts are ridiculous. He faithfully roots for his little niece's soccer team, the Petunias. I particularly love his use of Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" and then his telekinetic bit. Awesome.



We all know a good villain elevates the film. Sometimes I'm not sure what constitutes a good villain. The film's Big Bad, Max, is one of those sorts who doesn't really lift a finger, doesn't get his hands dirty. But Jason Patric plays Max in such a wicked condescending way that he steals pretty much all the scenes, especially when sharing those scenes with the stiff Holt McCallany (who plays his right hand man, Wade). Maybe a villain is validated by how much you want him to get what's coming to him. I really wanted Max to get his. It's a little show tune to describe Patric's performance as "delicious," but what the ef. Call it as you see it.



Not that the film spends too much time dwelling on it, but I think Max's destructive weapon of the day may have been something called a sonic dematerializer. His scheme revolves around instigating a hi-tech global war. Max is a tool.



Maybe my strongest quibble is that Holt McCallany's Wade doesn't really demonstrate why he's got this rep as a bad mofo. There's a good bit about Max ordering him to hire an eighteen-man kill squad but then Max changes his mind and orders Wade to kill the kill squad.



- Max: "What's the matter? You related to them?"

- Wade: "Actually, one of them, yeah."

- Max: "Really. By blood?"

- Wade: "A brother-in-law. I said I'd kill him."



That pretty much sums up Wade's big badasss moment. The rest of the time, he just stands around, not living up to his street cred.



This is a cool movie, flashy and frenetic and snappy banter-full. It might even be worth purchasing. Stay for the end credits as Jensen and his Loser mates attend his little niece's soccer game.

Posted on September 12, 2011

Valentina Feighner says...

Adapted from the short-lived Vertigo comic series, "The Losers" delivers a solid B-action-movie experience. It's got humor, `splosions, and an over-the-top bad guy played by Jason Patric. A few things holding this film back from true greatness are the over-stylized editing (it feels a bit gimmicky after a while), the fight scenes are fast and frequent but aren't that memorable, the plot seems like it was lifted from an "A-Team" episode, and there's no big name stars to pick up the slack for the less than original characters that fill the film. Jeffery Dean Morgan is the leader of The Losers, and while he did an excellent job as The Comedian in "The Watchmen," I couldn't help but wonder how much more an actor like George Clooney or Russel Crowe would bring to the part.



However, the cast has some major talent with Zoe Saldana (kicking butt and in her underwear no less) and the future Captain America, Chris Evans. I doubted Evans' ability to pull off the part of Marvel Comics' most patriotic superhero, but his performance in "The Losers" has convinced me otherwise. Overall, "The Losers" was a fun action film and hopefully they'll come back for another go-round.

Posted on September 15, 2011

Annemarie Hapgood says...

Surprisingly funny movie, and good action too.I had no problems with delivery or quality.

Posted on September 16, 2011

Georgann Tsuchida says...

Just an all around fun, don't take yourself seriously type of movie.Seen it twice now, and I'd see it again.

Posted on September 17, 2011