I’m always suspicious of comic book conversions to movies, but The Losers was surprisingly entertaining. Of course it’s not great, otherwise I wouldn’t feel guilty, but I find myself stopping to watch it whenever it’s on HBO. I even dialed it up through on-demand (free) over Christmas when there was nothing else on.
There’s a number of good elements, to wit:
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First and foremost, Jason Patric as Max, a pretty good villain. Appropriately bombastic for a B movie bad guy, and clearly on the wrong side in a big way. However, he’s quite funny hamming it up. “Clay and his unit? That sounds like a porno, Wade.”
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Wade, as Max’s put upon sidekick, provides a pretty good straight man.
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Overall, The Losers has a wry sense of humor and doesn’t take itself too seriously. It’s a B-movie with an A- budget, and revels in its niche. Witness The Petunia’s soccer match at the end of the game.
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Don’t know why, but I actually bought the camaraderie amongst Clay’s team. Pooch, Jensen, and Cougar seem like real buds.
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Idris Elba, acting the hell out of Roque.
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Zoë Saldana is easy on the eyes, although a bit thin for my tastes.
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The flick moves along at a good clip, with copious bursts of action. A nice, tight 97 minutes makes for a quick fast ride.
My only real demerit is that The Losers is a tad mean spirited. Blowing up kids is pretty low. The shooting of the umbrella assistant was completely gratuitous. And there’s no excuse for accidentally throwing scientists off of tall buildings.