Posted on 18 June 2010

The Losers
Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans
Directed by Sylvain White
Release date: 27 May
Rating: MA15


Hollywood have decided to try and scrape the comic book adaptation barrel one more time, as if we needed another one. Following the success in the last few years of comic book blockbusters adapted from the big-name Marvel and DC comics (the X-Men, Spiderman, and rebooted Batman franchises to name a few,) directors have been scrabbling around trying to produce adaptations of lesser known “gems” of the comic book world; films such as The Watchmen, V for Vendetta and the recent Kick-Ass have all catapulted their cel-shaded originals to levels of attention they would never have garnered on their own.

The latest addition to this long line of unnecessary comic adaptations is The Losers, an adaptation of a DC comic about a CIA black ops team who are left for dead after their rescue operation is sabotaged in Bolivia by the enigmatic “Max”. The rough-cut band of misfits is made-up of leader Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), tough-guy Roque (Idris Elba), wise-cracking comms expert Jensen (Chris Evans), brooding Latino sniper Cougar (Oscar Jaenada), and cool-hand driver Pooch (Columbus Short). Into their midst comes foxy Aisha (Zoe Saldana), who offers the boys redemption and the chance to get their lives back if they can take down Max.

The film presents itself in a stylised format, an aesthetic juxtaposition of military imagery and comic techniques. Whenever we're introduced to a new location, a big military stamp bearing the city's name appears on a wall, or on a hat, or something. Director Sylvain White has definitely seen a lot of Guy Ritchie films, as the British director's trademark jump-cuts and jerky action scenes feature heavily. The dynamics between the lads are enjoyable; Chris Evans single-handedly carries the comedic element of the film with his irrepressible boyish charms, and the growling tension between Clay and Roque is ably conveyed.

It's a pretty dumb action movie though. The plot is flimsy at best, the direction repetitive and unimaginative, and the dialogue weak, despite the actors' best efforts to add sparkle to the script. Jason Patric is great as the dry and smarmy villain Max, but the highlights are few and far between. The Losers is, at best, just another brainless action movie; good harmless fun. At worst, it's tedious and laughably poor. Where you will lie on this spectrum of appreciation for The Losers depends on your previous action movie credits; if you're a die-hard Die Hard fan, then you might just love it, simply for the explosions, the disposable one-liners, and the sound of machine guns ringing out through the air. However, unless you're a certified action movie aficionado, it'll be a pretty boring 90 minutes.

Verdict
Yet another silly action movie, indistinguishable from the hordes of others which we're subjected to every year.

Tom Hoare