IMDb

Sally
The Losers is a bit like The A-Team, only with a better cast and funnier jokes. It’s also a bit like every other action film ever made, full of almost every cliche in the book. Still, you could do a lot worse than this movie.

This is a big, dumb action flick if I ever saw one. But sometimes there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that. The Losers is more than entertaining enough to hold my attention. The story may be weak and predictable, but an excellent ensemble cast covers most of the defects.

Jeffrey Dean Morgan heads the cast as the de facto team leader. Morgan is always charming, and this is no exception. His character has a great sense of humor, but is also a believable leading man. I do wish Morgan would be given meatier roles than this, but again, he could do a lot worse. Morgan is joined by Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, and Idris Elba. All bring as much depth as they can to their roles, making for mostly successful performances. Evans is especially great, playing a wisecracking hacker. This character reminds me of his role as The Human Torch. Sometimes I forget that Evans used to be comic relief before becoming Captain America.

The actual plot of The Losers is a bit lacking. Most of the twists and turns are thinly veiled excuses for explosions and gun fights, but… eh. I’m feeling generous. I’ve seen way worse action movies, and I can’t completely fault this one for sticking to a template that so many other films in the genre also stubbornly adhere to.

Rating: B-

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Ben
This was largely an undiscovered film when it was first released in theatres. I had heard good things about it, so grabbed it one day in a bargain bin at my local DVD store. I am glad I did, this film was really entertaining. This shouldn’t be too surprising though, nearly all of the cast has gone on to bigger things, particularly Idris Elba and Chris Evans.

The Losers is the story of a small special forces team that are betrayed by their government while they are performing a top secret mission to eliminate a South American drug operation. The team is double crossed and left for dead, only to survive and break their way back into America and exact revenge. The team consists of leader Clay (Jeffrey Deam Morgan), Technician Jenson (Chris Evens), Sniper Cougar (Oscar Jaenada), vehicle specialist Pooch (Columbus Short), and the muscle Roque (Elba). The team escapes their betrayal and hooks up with local girl Aisha (Zoe Saldana), who offers to help them get back into America so they can exact their revenge on the shadowy figure known as Max (Jason Patric). Aisha also has her reasons for wanting Max eliminated, but they are not obvious and the team is not sure if she’s trustworthy. Despite this, they take Aisha up on her offer and get back into America to put an end to Max.

The Losers feels like what The A-Team should have been. I was almost waiting for Jeffrey Dean Morgan to tell everyone he loves it when a plan comes together. The chemistry between the cast is good. The standout for me though was Chris Evans as tech geek Jenson. His random trivia knowledge and humour added some levity to a film that never takes itself too seriously. The Losers knows what it is, and never claims to be anything other than a fun time full of explosions and a few laughs. This was the first film I remember seeing Idris Elba in, too. He is a lot of fun as Roque, the asshole of the group. Jason Patric is also clearly enjoying himself as the over the top villain Max.

The Losers is a fun action film with a solid cast. Look, this film is not going to win any awards, but it is an entertaining way to spend a rainy Sunday.

Rating: B-