Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, a scene of sensuality and language, 98 minutes
The action-adventure film "The Losers" comes up a winner
I can certainly relate to a film called "The Losers," but remarkably, the fast-paced action-adventure film is mostly a winner. Flawed, messy but highly entertaining, it's a shoot-em-up romp about a ragtag, globe-trotting special forces team that's based on a comic book of the same name. "The Losers" could well end up the sleeper hit of the spring.
"The Losers" is a tale of double cross and revenge, centered upon the members of an elite U.S. Special Forces unit sent into the Bolivian jungle on a search and destroy mission. The team-Clay ("Watchmen's" Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Jensen (Chris Evans), Roque (Idris Elba), Pooch (Columbus Short) and Cougar (Oscar Jaenada) -find themselves the target of a lethal betrayal instigated from inside by a powerful enemy known only as Max. Presumed dead, the group makes plans to even the score when they're joined by the mysterious Aisha ("Avatar's" Zoe Saldana), a beautiful operative with her own agenda. Working together, they must remain deep undercover while tracking the heavily-guarded Max (Jason Patric), a ruthless man bent on embroiling the world in a new high-tech global war.
Lively, cheeky but enjoyable, "The Losers" is far from perfect but provides some jolty entertainment for the masses. The best part about the "The Losers," which is co-written by "Friday Night Lights" creator Peter Berg, is that it rarely takes itself too seriously. Otherwise, it'd get seriously lost underneath all the preposterous plot twists and turns as it criss-crosses the globe. In addition, it's well-cast with the engaging Morgan and the lovely Saldana, though it's "Fantastic Four's" athletic Evans who ends up with some of the best one-liners while Patric is also vastly amusing as the villain.
"The Losers" is far from perfect: the climax is predictably full of blood, bullets and explosions and the characters and story are hardly developed. But this likable, energetic film does entertain and it entertains often and well, and on that note, "The Losers" is a winner.
