Pity the fool that don’t respect the ‘A-Team’

Television shows often fall flat when they make the transition to the big screen. With an engaging premise, a story that is not overly complex and a solid cast, “The A-Team” manages to resist this fate.

“The A-Team” was unlike any other television program before or since its run in the mid-1980s. Following a team of mercenary soldiers, the show revolved around various missions the team was hired to undertake. But the beauty of the show was its amalgamation of the A-Team members — four distinct personalities, each with his own purpose, that complemented each other impeccably.

Leading the crew is Colonel Hannibal (Liam Neeson), the organizer. Give him one minute and he’s good, two minutes and he’s great, six months and he’s unstoppable. Hannibal’s right-hand man is Lt. Face (Bradley Cooper), a smooth-talking pretty boy. Fate unites the two of them with tough guy Bosco “B.A.” Baracus (UFC fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson), and a haphazard encounter with a semi-insane pilot leads to the addition of Lt. Murdoch (Sharlto Copley).

The team develops a reputation for handling tough jobs, and after a mysterious CIA agent (Patrick Wilson) and a high-ranking general send the team on a top-secret assignment in Iraq, they are set up and imprisoned. The ensuing escape scenes are brilliant, and despite being hunted by Capt. Charisa Sosa (Jessica Biel), the A-Team becomes the hunter.

The film’s major downfalls are that the action sequences are cut so quickly they defy logic, and most of the action requires audiences to suspend belief. To make up for this, Neeson offers the film experience and credibility, Cooper and especially Copley add a touch of humor, and Rampage is a true badass who is able to give dimension to B.A. where Mr. T could not.

Director Carnahan (“Narc,” “Smoking Aces”) stays true to the predecessor, documenting the formation of the A-Team, its discharge, and the subsequent attempt to clear its name. The action-packed mayhem might not conform to the laws of physics, but it’s amusing nonetheless.