For just about anyone who works or operates in a dangerous or highly stressful field -- police, firefighters, soldiers, etc. -- where death is always present or just around the corner, one thing that helps many of them make it through the day is gallows humor. That's where they make light of their situation and/or that of their comrades who are in the same boat, and do so with some sort of funny or ironic remark.
Such humor-tinged bravado in the face of death has never escaped the eyes and ears of Hollywood types who know imbuing their fictional characters with such material will usually endear them to viewers. There have been countless examples throughout the annals of moviemaking, but a classic example is the hulking Blain (professional wrestler turned future Minnesota governor Jesse Ventura) who states -- remarking about dealing with an alien hunter that's dispatching members in his commando team in some Central American jungle -- "I ain't got time to bleed."
That, of course, occurred in the sci-fi action pic "Predator," and the beginning of "The Losers" will likely remind some viewers of that classic and fairly brilliant John McTiernan pic. After all, we're immediately introduced to a small, macho commando team (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short and Oscar Jaenada as the usual assortment of cross-ethnic tough guys) in the jungles of Bolivia who are quick with their offhand quips while on their dangerous and potentially deadly assignment.
And then they run afoul of a great big baddie. Rather than a dreadlocked alien from across the universe, however, they're targeted for death by none other than their nebulous government spook handler who's anonymous to them except by first name and the sound of his voice (he later shows up as Jason Patric in a purposefully over-the-top performance that simply didn't work, at least for yours truly). They then team up with a sexy and highly skilled operative who also has a vendetta (Zoe Saldana, apparently making her agent quite happy with all of the films she's been in over the past year) and set out to get revenge on the head villain.
Based on the fairly short-lived (32 issues) comic book series of the same name by Andy Diggle and illustrator Jock (no kidding), the film clearly isn't treading any new ground. Beyond the familiar story and stock-issue characters, helmer Sylvain White (2007's "Stomp the Yard") employs the now incredibly tired, music video style of composing his camera shots, hyper-editing the resultant footage and mixing that with various songs. Those who love that sort of filmmaking will obviously have a good time, and others who are fairly new to the visual shenanigans might be impressed and think it's all highly inventive and exciting.
For the rest of us, however, this is anything but new or novel, and there are few if any surprises in terms of plot developments and such. And while screenwriters Peter Berg and James Vanderbilt occasionally inject some fun bits of dialogue or entertaining mini scenarios, and some of the performers have some moderately infectious fun with their characters (most notably Chris Evans, best known for his "Fantastic Four" work and who steals every scene he's in here), most everything simply feels recycled from a plethora of past efforts.
And the one that immediately comes to mind is "The A-Team," the cheesy but highly successful action TV series from back in the 1980s that had a fairly similar plot and made an international star of Mr. T. and his catchphrases. Considering that show has been adapted to the big screen and will hit theaters this summer in a much higher profile vehicle (can "Alf" and "Punky Brewster" be far behind?), it's likely this offering will have a fairly short cinematic lifespan. And it's a good bet it will also live up to its title in terms of being overshadowed by what's essentially going to be the same sort of film.
Yes, I get that it's designed as mindless and escapist entertainment rather than high art. Yet, even those sorts of films need the right infusion of creativity and smarts to make them work as best as possible. While it has its moments, this one otherwise simply recycles a tired plot, clichéd characters and a visual sense that wore out its welcome sometime before the turn of the century. "The Losers" rates as a 4 out of 10.
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