Grade: D+
If there is one thing that The Losers does right, it's that it lives up to its name.
While The Losers does shine in some areas, anything redeeming about the movie is buried under all the clichés, poor direction and a host of other problems. It is a shame, because The Losers does show some potential, but quickly succumbs to its faults.
The film is based on the comic of the same name, which tells the story of a group of elite military group, led by Franklin Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Taking Woodstock). After a mission goes terribly wrong, Clay and his men are forced to fake their deaths and go into hiding.
They take shelter in a slum in South America, where Clay meets a mysterious woman named Aisha (Zoe Saldana, Death at a Funeral), who makes him an offer he cannot refuse: to get to the man that set them up, a C.I.A. super-spook named Max (Jason Patric, My Sister's Keeper). Max is planning to use a new type of bomb that could destroy all of Los Angeles.
The group set off on a continent-spanning trip, killing and blowing everything up in their wake, all to clear their names and to stop Max's plans.
Yes, the story sounds very familiar. It's one that has been told hundreds of times before and one that is nothing new to action movies. The problems stem from the derivative script and uninspired direction from Sylvain White (Stomp The Yard).
The script suffers from schizophrenic problems. The film cannot decide whether it wants to be a humorous, fun action film or a deadly serious thriller. When a helicopter filled with children blows up, the film seems like it's going to fall into the serious category. The gravity of that occurrence is destroyed when telling jokes becomes a bigger priority.
Although in some instances the film handles the humor well, most of the time it's either childish or out of place in the more dramatic situations. The humor is then used as a support due to the film's inability to make the serious circumstances work.
White's bland and lackluster direction does not help the feeble script. His direction is nothing more than formulaic, capturing all the tired clichés of the action genre. The slow walk toward the screen, the shaky camera that blinds most of the action, and a gratuitous amount of slow motion can be all found in The Losers.
The large cast is a mixed bag, ranging from enjoyable to ridiculous and boring. Morgan seems like a good fit for a grizzled military man like Clay after his decent performance as the Comedian, but leaves much to be desired. Morgan comes off more like a comedic oaf who is unable to deliver during the heavier moments.
Saldana fares worse than Morgan. Saldana's portrayal is a huge departure from her comic counterpart. Instead of the strong character found in the comic, the movie version devolves into a simple device for scenes involving T and A.
Patric's rendition of Max is just downright asinine, as it is impossible to believe that Patric is a real threat. He is played off as nothing more than mere laughs.
That's not to say that the entire cast is bad. Idris Elba (Takers) as Roque is one of the only actors in the film that can handle both the drama and humor well. His interaction with the rest of the cast is entertaining as well. Elba, though, is a victim of the hack script and his character falls apart toward the end.
The best part of the cast is definitely the future Captain America, Chris Evans (Push), as Jensen and Columbus Short (Death at a Funeral) as Pooch. Evans especially excels; he can always be relied upon to be somewhat entertaining and able to deliver a few humorous lines. The only problem is that many of the jokes are not that funny or just seem out of place during the scenes. Not to mention, at times the two feel like they solely exist as comedic relief.
The Losers is just another bad comic movie in a market that is already bloated with them. Hopefully, Stallone's action epic The Expendables can wash the action movie stain away.
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