THATFILMGUY

[pullquote cite=”” type=”left, right”][amazon text=Amazon&template=carousel&chan=that film guy&asin=B004XIQW70][/pullquote] Based on a Vertigo comic book series of the same name, The Losers is a film that has its tongue firmly planted in its cheek. It straddles the line between comedy and action beautifully and director Sylvain White has finally got a good film to his name after the abominations of Stomp the Yard and I’ll Always Know What You Did Last Summer. Boasting a cast of up-and-coming stars and a wry sense of humour throughout, The Losers failed to set the box office on fire, but has enough fun to become a cult classic.

The Losers are a US black ops team who are sent into Bolivia to assassinate a drug lord. The team consists of Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), Cougar (Oscar Jaenada), Pooch (Columbus Short), Jensen (Chris Evans) and Roque (Idris Elba). They discover children on the compound and refuse to execute the order to kill them all by their superior Max (Jason Patric). They rescue the kids, kill the dictator and escape, but Max, conscious that they know too much orders them to be killed. They survive the attack, fake their own deaths and create new lives for themselves in Bolivia, waiting for the day that they can get their revenge.

It’s not exactly the most complex plot in the world, but it suits the subject matter well and gives each of the titular Losers a chance to flex their muscles and fire their guns. The pick of the bunch is Evans’ Jensen, who has the best one-liners and steals the show with the ˜mind bullets’ scene alone, although Elba is also impressive as the cold-as-ice, tough-as-nails Roque. The rest give a great account of themselves and there’s even room in amongst the biceps for a decent turn by Zoe Saldana, which may well have influenced her casting in Colombiana. Patric, a man known for his intensity in any role, actually lets himself go a bit and the results are hilarious, as the scene with him nodding to a henchmen will testify.

Thomas Patrick