REELGUY'S DVD REVIEW: "The Losers" routine run-and-gun that stumbles into camp

Both "The Losers" and the later-released, similarly-themed "The A-Team," may have suffered from similar ideas hitting the big screen at the same time. Two military teams charged with a crime they didn’t commit, seeking justice on those that have made them outcasts. Both movies seek to balance extreme action stunts with humor. Neither made much of an impact at the box-office. "The Losers" has a worthy action cast including the man who played The Comedian in "Watchmen" (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), the actress who reinterpreted Uhura in the "Star Trek" remake (Zoe Saldana), and the charismatic funny guy who was the best part of "The Fantastic Four," Chris Evans. Yet, this action flick adapted from a comic book doesn’t really distinguish itself from an already crowded field. While moderately entertaining, it is a routine run-and-gun picture that is quickly forgettable.

The film’s director, Sylvain White, biggest picture before helming this adaptation was his work on "Stomp the Yard." This is hardly comparable preparation for handling an edge-of-your-seat action thriller. As such, "The Losers" hits all the necessary action beats and displays the appropriate amount of inter-team conflict, but doesn’t get the pacing or the tone quite right. Despite a hand-to-hand fight between main characters Clay (Morgan) and Aisha (Saldana) that is as much sexual foreplay as life-or-death struggle, the action sequences are pretty rote. But most egregious is the overacting in the film by Jason Patric, as the movie’s big bad. Even if this character’s primary raison d’etre is to be funny, it felt woefully out-of-place in the movie’s big bad guy. The tone struck by the villain pushes "The Losers" a little too far into the camp end of the spectrum. I would suggest watching Zack Snyder’s "300" again if looking for over-the-top action done right or wait for "Captain America: The First Avenger" to see Evans in a more serious, lead performance.

Rated PG-13 for sequences of intense action and violence, a scene of sensuality and language.