THE LOSERS

Starring:
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short, Oscar Jaenada and Jason Patrick

Director:
Sylvain White

Running Time:
97 mins

Out to buy on Blu-Ray/DVD 11/10/10

"So, she wanted to meet in a cemetery? That's not, like, foreboding at all..."

After accepting a job for the CIA, Colonel Clay (Morgan) and his team are ordered to target the compound a drug baron in Bolivia. As he orders the tactical air strike, Cougar (Jaenada) spots that children are been used as human shields but when the Colonel tries to order the abort, a voice on the other end of the transmission denies this action and orders Clay and his team to be killed for disobeying an order. Surviving the attack and forced to disappear into Bolivia, Colonel is offered the opportunity to return to the US and seek out the man who ordered his team’s execution but is the beautiful Aisha (Saldana) hiding something?

Comic book movies are coming thick but can a film about a group of CIA black ops soldiers out for revenge mix over the top comic action and story?

Based on the Vertigo comic series, ‘The Losers’ could have easily have been another Hollywood grasp to cash in the current comic book phenomenon and join the echelons on movies that have not lived up to their potential but the good news is that is does not. ‘The Losers’ is not your typical comic book movie that is filled with people with powers, flying around, saving the world but one that shows that there is much more to comic book adaptations that most people would think.

An elite platoon of special ops CIA agents are given a mission to take out a drug baron in Bolivia but when their commander Colonel Clay spots that his compound is surrounded by children and he is using them as a human shield, he tries to get the air attack cancelled. The voice on the other end of the transmission refuses however and Clay and his team have to attack the compound to save the children but as they think they have achieved this goal, the helicopter that was meant to extract them explodes. Now, presumed dead, the Colonel and his team have to clear their names and hunt down the person who ordered their termination. Now, while you are reading this you might be thinking that this sounds a little familiar. A group of soldiers framed for a crime that they didn’t commit and as a ‘Team’ they are working to clear their names and bring down the man behind their fall from grace. While their may not be much modifying of the van, pitying of fouls or much love when a plan comes together, the premise and set up could be pulled from an episode of ‘The A-Team’, the execution of the story is one that is filled with fun and a lot of over the top action.

The key to way ‘The Losers’ is much better than it could have been is the cast. Here we have a mix of specialists, each the best in their fields but also have a camaraderie that is second to none. This is excellently realised by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Columbus Short and Oscar Jaenada. As Colonel Clay, Aisha, Jensen, Roque, Pooch and Cougar, this is an elite team of soldiers who also like to have a little fun, especially Chris Evans’ character Jensen, as you might have been expected. While the leads are strong however, the villain isn’t with for ‘Lost Boys’ and ‘Speed 2’ star Jason Patric never really having that screen menace factor to give the movie its evil side.

‘The Losers’ is a fun action romp that might not set the world on fire with its plot but the performances and action sequences make up for this. With an excellent ensemble cast and some truly over the top moments, this is a fun comic book movie that shows that the genre does not always have to be about men and women in tights and spandex.

Zoe and the Losers
Action Style Storytelling
Band of Buddies: Ops Training
Band of Buddies: Transforming Puerto Ric
Band of Buddies: Going Deep into the Action
Deleted Scenes
Trailer
Audio Commentary with Andy Diggle and Jock


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2010