"The Losers" (Review)

Spoilers ahoy!

An advantage to living in Los Angeles is the opportunity to sometimes see movie premieres. Case in point--The Losers which I saw at the famous Grauman Chinese Theater in Hollywood. A very good friend got some passes after seeing a sneak preview, insisted it was (in her words) "awesome" and suggested I come along.

Was it awesome? Parts of it, yes. For the most part, I would simply describe it as very, very good. Although this isn't the kind of movie I usually review on this blog, nor is it a genre I usually seek out, my hope is that this will prove a success. After all, the more often good movies do well, the more likely good movies will be made, yes? Its a viable theory, anyway.

In essence the plot involves a US Special Forces Team. They are framed and almost murdered during an operation, on orders from a mysterious CIA figure known only as "Max." In the process, about two dozen small children are killed and the Losers (they are never actually called such in the film) assumed to be dead. Months later, their leader is contacted by a beautiful woman named Aisha who wants to bankroll their destruction of Max.

Sounds like a more-or-less straightforward action adventure flick. But what makes a real difference here is the acting, the writing and the directing. It helps that the cast is uniformly excellent at their roles--from Jeffrey Dean Morgan's Clay (commanding officer of the Losers) to Zoe Saldana as Aisha, and Jason Patric as the spectacularly ruthless Max (who would make a superb Bond villain incidently--very old school including a mangled hand). Probably my own favorite character was Jenkins (played by Chris Evans), a computer hacker extraordinaire with a truly wacky sense of humor that never seems to turn off. His t-shirts alone almost make the character.

The Losers offers no insights or deep questions without answers, nor does it explore issues and its drama is formulaic. I was not emotionally moved. But I was entertained--and methinks it is important to recall this movie doesn't really seem to be aiming at much else. Nor is that a bad thing! I enjoyed it very much.