The A-Team

Plot synopsis:
The A-Team is a naturally episodic show, with few overarching stories, except the characters' continuing motivation to clear their names, with few references to events in past episodes and a recognizable and steady episode structure. In describing the ratings drop that occurred during the show's fourth season, reviewer Gold Burt points to this structure as being a leading cause for the decreased popularity "because the same basic plot had been used over and over again for the past four seasons with the same predictable outcome". Similarly, reporter Adrian Lee called the plots "stunningly simple" in a 2006 article for The Express (UK newspaper), citing such recurring elements "as BA's fear of flying, and outlandish finales when the team fashioned weapons from household items". The show became emblematic of this kind of "fit-for-TV warfare" due to its depiction of high-octane combat scenes, with lethal weapons, wherein the participants (with the notable exception of General Fulbright) are never killed and rarely seriously injured (see also On-screen violence section).
As the television ratings of The A-Team fell dramatically during the fourth season, the format was changed for the show's final season in 1986–87 in a bid to win back viewers. After years on the run from the authorities, the A-Team is finally apprehended by the military. General Hunt Stockwell, a mysterious CIA operative played by Robert Vaughn, propositions them to work for him, whereupon he will arrange for their pardons upon successful completion of several suicide missions. In order to do so, the A-Team must first escape from their captivity. With the help of a new character, Frankie "Dishpan Man" Santana, Stockwell fakes their deaths before a military firing squad. The new status of the A-Team, no longer working for themselves, remained for the duration of the fifth season while Eddie Velez and Robert Vaughn received star billing along with the principal cast. The missions that the team had to perform in season five were somewhat reminiscent of Mission: Impossible, and based more around political espionage than beating local thugs, also usually taking place in foreign countries, including successfully overthrowing an island dictator, the rescue of a scientist from East Germany, and recovering top secret Star Wars defense information from Soviet hands. These changes proved unsuccessful with viewers, however, and ratings continued to decline. Only 13 episodes aired in the fifth season. In what was supposed to be the final episode, "The Grey Team" (although "Without Reservations" was broadcast on NBC as the last first-run episode in March 1987), Hannibal, after being misled by Stockwell one time too many, tells him that the team will no longer work for him. At the end, the team discusses what they were going to do if they get their pardon, and it is implied that they would continue doing what they were doing as the A-Team. The character of Howling Mad Murdock can be seen in the final scene wearing a T-shirt that says, "fini".
=== Connections to the Vietnam War ===
During the Vietnam War, the A-Team were members of the 5th Special Forces Group (see episode "West Coast Turnaround"). In episode "Bad Time on the Border", Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith, portrayed by George Peppard, indicated that the A-Team were "ex-Green Berets". During the Vietnam War, the A-Team's commanding officer, Colonel Morrison, gave them orders to rob the Bank of Hanoi to help bring the war to an end. They succeeded in their mission, but on their return to base four days after the end of the war, they discovered that Morrison had been killed by the Viet Cong, and that his headquarters had been burned to the ground. This meant that the proof that the A-Team members were acting under orders had been destroyed. They were arrested, and imprisoned at Fort Bragg, from which they quickly escaped before standing trial.
The origin of the A-Team is directly linked to the Vietnam War, during which the team formed. The show's introduction in the first four seasons mentions this, accompanied by images of soldiers coming out of a helicopter in an area resembling a forest or jungle. Besides this, The A-Team would occasionally feature an episode in which the team came across an old ally or enemy from those war days. For example, the first season's final episode "A Nice Place To Visit" revolved around the team traveling to a small town to honor a fallen comrade and end up avenging his death, and in season two's "Recipe For Heavy Bread", a chance encounter leads the team to meet both the POW cook who helped them during the war, and the American officer who sold his unit out.
An article in the New Statesman (UK) published shortly after the premiere of The A-Team in the United Kingdom, also pointed out The A-Team's connection to the Vietnam War, characterizing it as the representation of the idealization of the Vietnam War, and an example of the war slowly becoming accepted and assimilated into American culture.
One of the team's primary antagonists, Col. Roderick Decker (Lance LeGault), had his past linked back to the Vietnam War, in which he and Hannibal had come to fisticuffs in "the DOOM Club" (Da Nang Open Officers' Mess). At other times, members of the team would refer back to a certain tactic used during the War, which would be relevant to the team's present predicament. Often, Hannibal would refer to such a tactic, after which the other members of the team would complain about its failure during the War. This was also used to refer to some of Face's past accomplishments in scamming items for the team, such as in the first-season episode "Holiday In The Hills", in which Murdock fondly remembers Face being able to secure a '53 Cadillac while in the Vietnam jungle.
The team's ties to the Vietnam War were referred to again in the fourth season finale, "The Sound of Thunder", in which the team is introduced to Tia (Tia Carrere), a war orphan and daughter of fourth season antagonist General Fulbright. Returning to Vietnam, Fulbright is shot in the back and gives his last words as he dies. The 2006 documentary Bring Back The A-Team joked that the scene lasted seven and a half minutes, but his death actually took a little over a minute. His murderer, a Vietnamese colonel, is killed in retaliation. Tia then returns with the team to the United States (see also: casting). This episode is notable for having one of the show's few truly serious dramatic moments, with each team member privately reminiscing on their war experiences, intercut with news footage from the war with Barry McGuire's Eve of Destruction playing in the background.
The show's ties to the Vietnam War are fully dealt with in the opening arc of the fifth season, dubbed "The Court-Martial (Part 1–3)", in which the team is finally court-martialed for the robbery of the bank of Hanoi. The character of Roderick Decker makes a return on the witness stand, and various newly introduced characters from the A-Team's past also make appearances. The team, after a string of setbacks, decides to plead guilty to the crime and they are sentenced to be executed. They escape this fate and come to work for a General Hunt Stockwell, leading into the remainder of the fifth season.

Tags: comedy, murder, violence, flashback, clever, psychedelic, action, revenge, entertaining

Review:
If any film demands to be graded on a curve, it's The A-Team.Simply consider the notion of making a big-budget summer movie from of one of the cheesiest television shows of a cheesy TV era.It's a crafty plan to lower your expectations.
A (very) lengthy credits sequence set in Mexico shows us how the team of former Army Rangers comes together: Leader John "Hannibal" Smith (Liam Neeson), his right-hand man Templeton "Face" Peck (Bradley Cooper), powerful Bosco "B.A." Baracus (Quinton "Rampage" Jackson) and loony pilot James "Howling Mad" Murdock (Sharlto Copley).We jump ahead several years, where the A-Team is now an Army covert operations crew with dozens of successful missions under their belts.
You'd never have guessed the guy who played eighth fiddle on Alias would be front-and-center for a star-making performance, but it's true.The A-Team shows off Cooper's buffed-up physique almost to the point of absurdity – he's shirtless on screen more than Mark Wahlberg in Date Night – but Cooper's charisma carries the day throughout.A well-rounded supporting cast also delivers.
(It probably doesn't hurt that Bloom, a veteran actor mostly relegated to TV work, gets co-writing credit.) Their wonderfully brash characters bring welcome levity to the pounding machine of gunfights and explosions that propels The A-Team.Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't note the drinking game that by all rights should be born from this film: Drink whenever a guy with icy blue eyes is on screen.
You'd pass out halfway through the film.There's Cooper and Neeson alone, plus Bloom and Wilson, with a little Gerald McRaney – yes, Major Dad himself – thrown in for good measure.If you're really into dudes with bright blue eyes, The A-Team is like porn.
That being said, the expectations and sensitivities in a fan of the original series is non-existent in me, so this is purely based on what I felt about the movie itself.First off, the casting is near perfect.
There are unresolved plot holes and some people have expressed upset at this, but the film was never marketed as a 'story' kind of film in any way so they really should've known better.This movie is not for movie buffs who look for the meaning of life in films, but if a hilarious, well-acted, action-packed movie is your thing?
All of these things happen before the opening titles.The A-Team is like Hollywood Action Movie Lasagne: it's a layer of cliché, followed by a layer of implausibility, followed by another layer of cliché and so on, with the whole lot finished off with a sickly rich layer of computer-generated special effects.
(Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson), Murdock (Sharlto Copley), Hannibal (Liam Neeson) and Face (Bradley Cooper) are all great at their roles.
Humor , thrills , several agreeable characters and trademark effects abound and will please the series enthusiasts such as the neophyte .The agreeable acting convinces , especially the leader Liam Neeson , the sympathetic Bradley Cooper and Brian Bloom in a super-villain role , while other players also make a nice work as Patrick Wilson and the gorgeous Jessica Biel.
It looked tacky, un-original(well it's Hollywood and a re-make so it still kind of is), with totally over-the-top and overblown Micheal Bay-style action sequences and not a single trace of any whit or plot visible!If it was not for my Dad (also an avid fan of the show) offering to pay for me, I probably would not have bothered seeing the film.
Fortunetly the characters, although played by different actors - are successfully updated and portrayed and still somehow feel the same as the originals with the humour and witty dialogue still there in spades!The cast did a fine job in their respective roles especially South African actor Sharlto Copley as 'Howling mad Murdoch'!
None of the action sequences are drawn out too long and although some of the scenes suffer a bit from a little too much CGI, shaky-cam and quick cuts making visibility difficult and a bit muddled, still doesn't take away from the film's overall entertainment value.The plot is not overly complicated but it IS there and it is not completely dumbed-down and insulting to the viewers intellect.
A perfect balance of action, story and humour make A-team a brilliant and successful up-dated film adaption that successfully brings The A-team into the new millennium yet doesn't tread over the original.Thankfully the best bits aren't shown in the trailers and the film is most deserving of at least one more sequel!I pity the fool who doesn't enjoy this film!.
Just came back from a 11 o'clock session of The A-Team and heres what i think.Actors: Bradely Cooper (The Hangover) plays Face Liam Nesson (Taken, Chronicles of Narnia) plays Hannibal Quinton 'Ramage' Jackson (UFC) plays B.A. Baracus Sharlto Copley (District 9) plays MurdockWith most of the audiences being pleased about the film, The A-Team may look like a ridiculous, broken and edgy film that is just full of CGI garbage and failed actors...
It may be ridiculous to think about the idea, such as the new G.I. Joe movie, which currently isn't a total pleaser but it does help for other audiences alike.The CGI effects itself were brilliant, the actors performance were at some stages exciting and with some help of music composer 'Alan Silvestri' who also did other epic titles such as Forest Gump, Eraser, Cast Away, Back to the Future and The Long Kiss Goodnight.
The bad guys so often overlooked in casting, in this case Wilson and Bloom, supply some of the movies best moments, lines and action.The plot is never lost here with the A-Team now operating in Iraq to bring it up to 21st Century speed.
I loved the A-team TV series but this movie is an unsuccessful attempt, it is super noisy,pointless,very confusing and over crowded ...up to 20 minutes through the movie still you will read titles and credit texts.the story starts with so called Hollywood labelled bad guys,in this case a few Latinos that in spite of their greater number they are defeated by 2 guys,then all of sudden they are talking about going Baghdad and talking to go to Kabul too and so on,I think movie making in Holiwood hit the bottom with this one.
Structure was a complete mess.I am trying to remember the last time I actually sat in a movie theatre watching a full on action sequence with explosions and the like thinking how bored I was.And at the end of all of this, a disrespectful and tacky add on at the end of the credits with Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz which made absolutely no sense whatsoever.
Something just gave me the impression that Mr Carnahan got to the editing suite and suddenly realised that Dwight Schultz was so good it showed up the crap he had actually made and so relegated it to the post credits sequence.All in all I really think the filmmakers missed a trick here and have made a bland and convoluted no brainer for 13 year olds rather than for the legions of devoted fans that loved the TV show so much.Even after all these years, there was something inside me that just thought it would have worked better to bring back the original cast (with Liam Neeson as Hannibal in the place of the deceased George Peppard) and just update everything to the present day and see what happened to this crack commando team after 20 or 30 years on the run..
The A-Team maybe isn't the best movie adapted from a TV series, but I'm sure that is is one of the most if not the most entertaining and full of action.
It is the typical action movie full of explosions, fights, lots and lots of weapons, with very good humor, a very enjoyable yet predictable story and a decent plot.
The list is endless...However, I must say, this is pretty good in my honest opinion, it feels like a good rebuking of a classic series, and it has been fully loaded with CGI and ham acting, to say the least.If you watch this movie, try to distance yourself from the preconceptions of other remakes that have been botched in the past and try to watch it for what it is and I guarantee you will enjoy it more.The characters are decent, and it's a pleasure to see Sharlto Copley having his full on debut in this movie and for me he pulls it off rather well...
A five year old could have written it.The effects, some action scenes are done well, others look like they ran out of time and botched it together.The script has the occasional good one-liners but in the whole film there are about 10, not worth the two hours to find..
full of action a lot of funny moments an dialogs like we all know from the good old A-Team.
Stupid stupid, stupid.Hollywood had to Holllywoodize it and bastardize this.Gone is the funny and now comes the stupid and absurd.Back in the 80's the A-team were mellow and sarcastic.They had no money, they all drove in a black van and they basically did charity work.They didn't talk trashy, they didn't kill anybody, they didn't go overboard like in this movie.The entire concept of the 80's TV show and this movie are far between each other.The TV show was fun to watch...this was just really "effin" boring and dismal.I had a small role in this movie and I saw it for the first time last night.
I saw it for free and I was really upset that the result was this overblown piece of crap.It's pathetic from so many ways to even consider that this was an A-Team movie - based from the series.The characters were horrible developed, unfit for their characters and had no charming personalities.Their dialog was absolutely horrible and the action was overdone.The story in all capacity was just too damn Hollywoodized like some bad version on a Schwarzenegger movie - without the funny and it was just wrecked on all levels.I didn't pay to see this and I'm very glad...because it just sucked...Event he popular lines weren't used...what gives.A waste of my film viewing experience..
This being said I can only confirm what some reviewers already stated: The A-Team is an all-fun action movie that does a lot of credit to the original series.
The Definition of Dumb Summer Fun. If all you want out of a movie is dumb summer fun you could do much worse than "The A-Team," especially if you're a fan of the original series.Preposterous doesn't even begin to describe the set pieces in this film, but at least it's got a sense of humor, which is something that far too few big action films lack.
Sharlto Copley comes up from behind to give the film's best performance as the crazy Murdock, but he's in good company with Liam Neeson and Bradley Cooper, who do exactly what they're asked to do.
(And I want the services of Cooper's personal trainer).Jessica Biel, in the grand tradition of female agents in films like this, does her job while wearing spike heels and chic leather trenchcoats, and Patrick Wilson (of all people) is almost too effective as a smarmy villain (you want to see far worse things happen to him than actually do).This movie taught me quite a lot.
I normally check out the reviews before watching a movie but this time I decided just to give it a go.I did not have high expectations for this film as at end of the day it was at a minimum going to be loosely based in the original from the 80's and no matter how hard they try they are never going to please everyone.
The cast did a good job with the characters, Humour was good, the storyline/plot was nothing new and jumped around a bit too much for my liking.A watch-able film though..
It was written like a hero action series for kids and the film is aimed at those same people who spent those three years watching it, but who are now grown and probably with children of their own.
There are plans, good guys, bad guys, at least a little eye-candy, inconceivable escapes, and lots of explosions.The action is pretty much straight forward, and each main character, with the possible exception of Smith, had a chance to grow.
I have never been a fan of the TV series The A-Team because I found it to be excessively absurd...even inside the parameters of the 80's television.However, I had some optimism before watching the film The A-Team thanks to the presence from director Joe Carnahan, whose previous movies were the excellent Narc and the entertaining Smokin' Aces.And even though it did not result to be a highly memorable movie, I cannot deny it kept me entertained because of Carnahan's dynamic direction, the competent performances and the action sequences.The A-Team (of course that the film) decided to follow the doctrine from films like Charlie's Angels, xXx and The Transporter, because it discards the realism in order to show absolutely over the top action sequences which require the defiance of every law from the Physic and of every limit from the human resistance.But the truth is that they all work well in the context from the movie.As for the characters, I honestly did not care too much about them, because due to the fact they are apparently immortal, I could never feel the sensation that something bad was going to happen to them.In other words, they did not emotionally connect with me.However, something which lessens to some degree that important fail are the performances from Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Sharlto Copley and Quinton Jackson, who bring a good amount of enthusiasm and energy to their characters, at the same time they never loose the credibility.So, The A-Team is not a brilliant movie, and it does not result to be a very memorable experience.However, I had a good time while I was watching it, specially during the ridiculous action scenes.And in conclusion, I think it deserves a recommendation because of that..
I have never seen the original TV series back in the early eighties, but this sounded like a good action fun film so I thought I would see it and as it turns out this was really great and better than I would thought it would be.The A-Team would normally be the sort of summer Hollywood blockbuster that would fall into the lines of just trashy fun with bad acting, cheesy script and dialogue with lots of clichés and a basic story opposite exciting action and special effects.
One of the things I also like and is rare in films like these is that the actors looked like they were enjoying themselves in terms of the action but also the script, which though as I said it is cheesy, they take it for what it is and there are some great comedy moments in there, and as a result the audience get more thrills from the fun and enjoy it more too.Why I gave this a seven was because first the acting, Liam Neeson is terrific as Hannibal Smith.
Quinten Jackson and Bradley Cooper provide good support but Sharlto Copley (last seen in Distirct 9 and who gave an excellent performance) is superb as the madly insane Murdock who makes the most of his time on the screen.
A chance to lose yourself in pure entertainment.Silly plot,yes but who cares it's really just a set up for the next joke and action scene.Memorable characters, yes the whole cast feels like they have known each other for years.Awesome editing on said action scenes.My only real complaint was Jessica,she had almost nothing to do in this flick except be bitchy and look good,Which I guess she did well.All in all I would say this everything that made the TV show great is in this movie cheese and all.I haven't had this much fun at a film since Raiders of the Lost Ark.Well worth seeing make sure you bring a friend it's that kind of movie..
Patrick Wilson is great as the arrogant (and often juvenile) Lynch, and Jessica Biel does a fine job as Sosa (though she doesn't seem to be anything more than a plot device...existing so Faceman has an established connection with the "good guys").A final complaint: A-TEAM is one of those action films where the protagonists never seem like they're ever really in danger.
And the villains of the film also feel paper thin, and generic.D for story, C for supporting cast, A for the leads, and A+ for what the movie REALLY gets right, the action: It's highly implausible, over the top, and cartoonish, but that's what makes it SO MUCH FUN, because it's so gimmicky and in your face (Literally so in one scene that pokes glorious fun at 3-D).
He even has "PITY" on one hand and "FOOL" on the other; that looks like a tribute to me.The other thing that makes this movie great is the way the action sequences were executed.
I think some of this has to do with the fact that I saw this movie for an action film and not as a remake of an original series.
They include Hannibal Smith (Liam Neeson, the Colonel and master planner), Faceman Peck (Bradley Cooper, the slick intelligence operative and ladies man), B.A. Baracus (Quinton Jackson, the muscle), and Murdock (Sharlto Copley, the crazy pilot).Joe Carnahan's film updates the original idea, from a TV series in the 80s by the same name, to the contemporary military world, having them fight 80 successful missions in Irag (off camera), and facing off against non-military members of a private security firm (Black Forest).
Fortunately, the whole thing is kept together by a committed cast: sure, Biel is a bit wasted, like most female performers in huge action movies, and Jackson doesn't really have Mr. T's charisma, but Wilson's villain is a joy to watch, and Neeson's team leader is a hoot.