'Losers' minus one
The title says it all, except for the performance of omnipresent Zoe Saldana
By Lisa Miller 04/29/2010
An underdeveloped plot receives no help from forced humor in this Warner Bros. screen adaptation directed by Sylvain White. The comic-book series authored by Andy Diggle and published by DC Comics/Vertigo tells a derivative story that’s “déjà vu all over again.” The film’s most original idea features Zoe Saldana as a kick-ass heroine.
A well-armed militia of five is performing reconnaissance on a drug lord’s compound in the Bolivian jungle when they observe a couple dozen school-age children being escorted by an armed guard. Not only does the reconnaissance team refuse to fire on the target, but its members attempt to call off a scheduled aerial bombing run. But a smarmy voice on the radio — identified as Max — insists the mission be carried out as planned.
With precious few minutes to waste, the team attempts to extract the children from the danger zone. The rescue effort should be exciting, but we never feel that any of our heroes are in real danger as scores of flying bullets seem to miss them by a mile. As promised, Max has the compound blown to smithereens then punishes the team’s disobedience by leaving them for dead. Stranded in Bolivia, the team grabs off-the-grid jobs to earn money for new identities while arguing over whether they should expose Max as a necessary prerequisite to resuming their former lives.
This Special Forces crew is led by “Colonel” Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a veteran wearing “Miami Vice” stubble and Jean Reno’s smirk. The rest of his unit consists of Roque (Elba), a demolitions expert with a thing for big knives, Pooch (Columbus Short), a sentimental family man in charge of the team’s transport, Cougar (Oscar Jaenada), an affable sniper wearing Crocodile Dundee’s hat, and Jenson (Chris Evans), a bespectacled, burly tech wizard whose actual job is providing comic relief.
Just when the team’s frustration about the prospect of getting back home has peaked, Clay meets Aisha, a woman half his size but smart and twice as tough. After tearing up Clay’s hotel room and setting the place on fire, this enigmatic woman offers to supply Clay and his crew with the resources necessary to take down Max.
The film’s parallel story depicts Max (Jason Patric) as an über powerful operative, barking wild orders at right-hand man Wade (Holt McCallany) and threatening to execute a clutch of international weapons experts should they fail to produce. Patric’s depiction is unadulterated satire, a tone at odds with the portrayal of Clay’s group as serious soldiers — who sometimes happen to be smart alecks.
It’s a strange universe — even for a comic book — that fails to clarify Max’s motive for acquiring the next generation of weapons beyond that his nefarious agenda is his alone. While it’s true that power breeds corruption, Max’s operation depends upon inattention to the fox guarding the hen house.
Meanwhile, the eruption of differing opinions and goals within Clay’s group, leads to double-crosses that seem unlikely given their history of pulling one another’s butts out of the fire.
Much of the story is left untold — as if the writers had neither time nor inclination to complete it. How is it that an estranged operative knows where and when to show up, and with what weapon, to save the team?
Though a few action set pieces are clever, the story supporting them is a house of cards. You could grin and bear it if the casually tossed off jokes were more amusing or the characters more engaging. As it is, only Saldana, who’s been cropping up everywhere (“Avatar” and “Death at a Funeral”), creates an intensely conflicted character worthy of our attention.
Provided there’s a sequel (stranger things have happened), I’m betting we’ll see more Aisha and less of the other “Losers.”
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