The Losers (2010)

The Losers (2010)

Dir: Sylvain White

After an incredibly disappointing film consisting of a multicultural ensemble battling against a powerful villain, I felt it was only right to talk about a film I really enjoy that follows a familiar formula, with it being stupid on so many levels but instead has a lot of fun with its material. The Losers was released in 2010, with a strong cast of Chris Evans, Idris Elba and Zoe Saldana and the Vertigo DC comic label at its base. The plot revolves around a highly talented group of misfit soldiers and is a simple revenge action film. It begins with these soldiers given a mission but things quickly start to go wrong and a tragedy occurs at the hands of an antagonist known only as ‘Max’.

Each character is introduced with intertitles that are recycled later in Suicide Squad but without the elongated flashbacks. The group are betrayed at the beginning of the movie and their motivations are clearly outlined. Involving a similar framework to what we have seen in films like The A-Team, the prominent piece of these particular type of ensemble films is always the interactions between the characters. Something Suicide Squad suffered from terribly, except the slow paced ‘Bar scene’ halfway through the movie. These interactions move the narrative forward with Idris Elba’s character Roque challenging Clay (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the leader of the group, on their plight to bring ‘Max’ to justice. Roque questions why they are still formulating a plan to find ‘Max’ when they have now clue of his identity, instead of simply accepting that he won and they lost. Yet Clay is fueled by the cruel injustice committed by 'Max', he perseveres with blind devotion to the cause, as do the rest of the group.  

This film was never going to win any Academy Awards for Best Screenplay but what it does is have fun with its characters, possess a good balance between action set pieces and comedy and just does not take itself too seriously. A quality that has somewhat been lost in the recent DCCU, even with the Suicide Squad release. Furthermore, when we are finally introduced to the character of ‘Max’ (played by Jason Patric, who is in one of my favourite films - Narc) his motivations are defined with what he names as “eco-terrorism” whilst of course collecting vast sums of money. As the film moves along, the group’s relationships grow ever more strenuous. Idris Elba is of course hypnotic and a huge presence every time he enters the frame. The other cast members performances are maybe not up to par with Idris Elba but do provide something of a counter weight to his serious demeanor, such as Chris Evans who is the comic relief throughout.

The Losers is not a masterpiece or Apocalypse Now reborn, but it has a lot going for it. Even with flaws and plot holes, you are invested with the characters from the opening sequence and the film just moves along from there with really fun, stupid action and good uses of humour that is interwoven in a goofy plot with entertaining performances.