The A-Team (film): Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Gary H77 (talk | contribs)
35 edits
Off2riorob (talk | contribs)
80,325 edits
remove wordpress not reliable
Line 155: Line 155:
</ref> This news was followed on the November 23, 2009, that [[Dirk Benedict]] would also make a cameo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dirkbenedictcentral.com/home/headline-readarticle.php?nid=45 |title="Prescription:Murder" and "The A-Team" |publisher=Dirk Benedict Central |date= |accessdate=2010-07-23}}</ref> Schultz and Benedict played H.M. Murdock and Templeton "Faceman" Peck respectively in the original series. McRaney's role of General Morrison was an homage to unseen character Colonel Morrison, who was also killed in the original series.
</ref> This news was followed on the November 23, 2009, that [[Dirk Benedict]] would also make a cameo.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dirkbenedictcentral.com/home/headline-readarticle.php?nid=45 |title="Prescription:Murder" and "The A-Team" |publisher=Dirk Benedict Central |date= |accessdate=2010-07-23}}</ref> Schultz and Benedict played H.M. Murdock and Templeton "Faceman" Peck respectively in the original series. McRaney's role of General Morrison was an homage to unseen character Colonel Morrison, who was also killed in the original series.


The other original "cast member", the 1983 [[GMC Vandura]] van that the A-Team TV crew made a signature plot vehicle out of also returned. Filming in Canada made it difficult to source the original vehicle and instead a modified 1994 [[Chevrolet G20]] cargo van was used, but the red stripe is not the same as in the original van.<ref>
The other original "cast member", the 1983 [[GMC Vandura]] van that the A-Team TV crew made a signature plot vehicle out of also returned. Filming in Canada made it difficult to source the original vehicle and instead a modified 1994 [[Chevrolet G20]] cargo van was used, but the red stripe is not the same as in the original van.{{fact}}
{{cite web
| date = June 18, 2010
| author = Jerry Garrett
| title = Ten Secrets of the A-Team Movie Van
| url = http://jerrygarrett.wordpress.com/2010/06/18/ten-secrets-of-the-a-team-movie-van/
}}
</ref>


== Music ==
== Music ==

Revision as of 20:50, 10 August 2010

The A-Team
The actors Liam Neeson Bradley Cooper Quinton Jackson Sharlto Copley from the movie The A-Team
Promotional film poster
Directed byJoe Carnahan
Written byJoe Carnahan
Brian Bloom
Skip Woods
Television series:
Stephen J. Canell
Frank Lupo
Produced byStephen J. Cannell[1]
Spike Seldin
Tony Scott
Jules Daly
Alex Young
Iain Smith
Ridley Scott
StarringLiam Neeson
Bradley Cooper
Quinton Jackson
Sharlto Copley
Jessica Biel
Patrick Wilson
Brian Bloom
CinematographyMauro Fiore
Edited byRoger Barton
Jim May
Music byAlan Silvestri
Production
companies
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release dates
  • June 10, 2010 (2010-06-10) (New Zealand)
  • June 11, 2010 (2010-06-11)
Running time
117 minutes[2]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$100 million[3][4]
Box office$151,024,168[4][5]

The A-Team is a 2010 American action film based on the television series of the same name. It was released in cinemas in the United States on June 11, 2010 by 20th Century Fox.[6] The film was directed by Joe Carnahan and produced by Stephen J. Cannell,[7] and brothers Ridley and Tony Scott.[8][9] The film has been in development since the mid 1990s, having gone through a number of writers and story ideas, and being put on hold a number of times. Producer Stephen J. Cannell wished to update the setting, perhaps using the first Gulf War as part of the backstory.[10]

The film stars Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper, Quinton Jackson, and Sharlto Copley as The A-Team, an elite army team, imprisoned for a crime they did not commit. They escape and set out to clear their name. Jessica Biel, Patrick Wilson and Brian Bloom are in supporting roles.

The film received mixed reviews from critics,[11] and performed slightly below expectations at the box office.[3] The reception from the cast of the original series, The A-Team, too, was mixed.[12][13]

Plot

John "Hannibal" Smith (Liam Neeson) is held captive in Mexico by two corrupt Mexican officers working for the renegade General Javier Tuco (Yul Vazquez). Hannibal escapes and sets out to rescue Templeton "Face" Peck (Bradley Cooper), who is held captive at Tuco's ranch. Hannibal saves Face after enlisting disgraced Ranger Bosco B.A. Baracus (Quinton Jackson), driving to the rescue in B.A.'s modified GMC Vandura van. Pursued by Tuco, they stop at a nearby Army hospital to recruit the services of eccentric pilot H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock (Sharlto Copley). They flee in a medical chopper, chased by Tuco in a dogfight that leaves B.A. with a fear of flying. The battle ends when they lure Tuco's chopper into American airspace, where it's destroyed by a U.S. F-22 Raptor as Hannibal planned.

"Eight years and eighty successful missions later", the team is a highly-regarded elite combat unit stationed in Iraq. Hannibal is contacted by CIA Agent Lynch (Patrick Wilson), who reveals that Iraqi insurgents possess U.S. treasury plates being used to manufacture counterfeit currency. Lynch wants Hannibal and his team to steal the plates and over one billion dollars in counterfeit cash that is due to be moved out of Baghdad. DCIS Captain Charissa Sosa (Jessica Biel) arrives and warns her ex-lover Face, to stay away from the plates. Against the advice of his commanding officer, General Morrison (Gerald McRaney), Hannibal agrees to steal the plates in an unofficial "Black Ops" mission. The mission is successful, but when the team returns to base both the money and Morrison's vehicle are destroyed by Brock Pike (Brian Bloom) and his men from the private security firm Black Forest. Without Morrison, the only proof that they were authorized to act, the team is sentenced to ten years in prison.

Six months later, Hannibal is visited in prison by Lynch. Lynch reveals that Pike may be trying to sell the plates with the help of an Arab backer. Hannibal, who has been tracking Pike on his own, makes a deal with Lynch: clean records for his team in return for the plates. Lynch agrees and Hannibal escapes, then breaks out the rest of the team. B.A. Baracus has turned to religion during his time in prison and refuses to kill anyone. Sosa is hot on their trail, and angry after being demoted to Lieutenant after the team ignored her warning. Believing the team is working with Pike, she tries to intercept them before they leave Germany in a military aircraft. The plane is destroyed by drone fighters, but the team escapes inside the body of a tank on parachutes.

They track Pike and launch an offensive to reclaim the plates and kidnap Pike's backer. The team learns that the backer is actually General Morrison, who worked with Lynch and Pike to steal the plates, but then teamed up with Pike to double-cross Lynch and fake his death. When Lynch learns that the team has Morrison, he orders an air strike to eliminate them. The team barely escapes and Morrison is killed.

Face hatches a plan. Hannibal arranges to meet Sosa, knowing her phone lines are tapped by Lynch, on board a cargo ship at a downtown dock, saying he will hand over Morrison and the plates in exchange for his freedom. Face then calls Sosa on an untapped phone he previously gave her. Lynch reenlists Pike and sets a trap for Hannibal and company. This has been anticipated by Face, who uses diversions to divide Lynch's team and get Lynch directly involved. Pike fires a rocket at the ship, nearly destroying it, but B.A. reluctantly kills him. Lynch tracks down Hannibal and a hooded Morrison dummy, and shoots Morrison in the head before engaging Hannibal in a fistfight. The container they are in is uncovered revealing Sosa and Federal agents. Morrison is revealed to be Murdock in a melted-Kevlar helmet. Lynch is taken into custody, but the A-Team is arrested for escaping incarceration. Sosa is promoted back to Captain for retrieving the plates and apprehending the A-Team, but promises to do all she can to set them free before kissing Face as he is led into a prison van. In the van Face reveals Sosa gave him a key during their kiss, which they promptly use to escape. The closing narration says that they now live as soldiers of fortune.

Cast

In a post credits scene, original series actors Dirk Benedict (Face) and Dwight Schultz (Murdock) have a cameo with their film equivalents Bradley Cooper and Sharlto Copley. Benedict plays Face's fellow tanning bed client and Schultz plays a neurologist who examines Murdock.

Development

The film has been in development since the mid 1990s, going through a number of writers and story ideas, and being put on hold a number of times. Producer Stephen J. Cannell hoped to update the setting, perhaps using the first Gulf War as part of the backstory.[17] John Singleton was initially assigned to direct, but in October 2008 he pulled out of the project.[18] When Singleton was still attached to the project as director, Ice Cube was approached for the role of B.A. Baracus.[19]

In June 2009, Variety revealed that Liam Neeson was in negotiations with 20th Century Fox to star as Hannibal Smith,[20] and Bradley Cooper announced to MTV News[citation needed] that he will be playing the role of Templeton Peck after he first denied the rumors saying that he was not involved and insisted that he had not seen any script.[21]

Casting

On August 26, 2009, MMAjunkie.com reported that mixed martial arts fighter Quinton "Rampage" Jackson would play the role of B.A. Baracus in the upcoming film,[22] but this was later denied by a representative for Jackson.[23] In September 2009, The Vancouver Sun suggested that Jackson has been attached to the role and was postponing his fight at UFC 107 with Rashad Evans due to filming for The A-Team. Filming started in Vancouver in late 2009, and Jackson's involvement has since been confirmed.[24][25]

On September 15, 2009, Variety confirmed the casting of Neeson, Cooper and Jackson. They additionally reported that Sharlto Copley and Jessica Biel were in final negotiations to join the cast. Copley would be playing the role of H.M. Murdock and Biel would be playing the ex-lover of Face who is a disillusioned and ruthless Army officer in charge of pursuing the team.[26] 20th Century Fox later confirmed that Copley and Biel were cast in the film.[27]

On September 30, 2009, Liam Neeson and the rest of the cast were seen filming scenes in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, as shooting got under way.[28] The first official pictures of Neeson, Cooper, Copley and Jackson in character were soon released, including one which features the iconic van in the background.[29]

On October 30, 2009, Dwight Schultz confirmed that he had filmed a cameo scene for the movie.[30] This news was followed on the November 23, 2009, that Dirk Benedict would also make a cameo.[31] Schultz and Benedict played H.M. Murdock and Templeton "Faceman" Peck respectively in the original series. McRaney's role of General Morrison was an homage to unseen character Colonel Morrison, who was also killed in the original series.

The other original "cast member", the 1983 GMC Vandura van that the A-Team TV crew made a signature plot vehicle out of also returned. Filming in Canada made it difficult to source the original vehicle and instead a modified 1994 Chevrolet G20 cargo van was used, but the red stripe is not the same as in the original van.[citation needed]

Music

Score

On December 1, 2009, it was announced that Alan Silvestri would compose the film score.[32] Silvestri recorded his score with a 90-piece ensemble of the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Newman Scoring Stage at 20th Century Fox.[33]

Soundtrack

Varèse Sarabande released the soundtrack album of Alan Silvestri's score, incorporating Mike Post and Pete Carpenter's theme from the television series.

  1. Somewhere In Mexico/Original “The A-Team (Theme)” (2:12)
  2. Saving Face (3:32)
  3. Alpha Mike Foxtrot (4:29)
  4. Welcome To Baghdad (4:22)
  5. The Plan (6:11)
  6. Court Martial (3:09)
  7. Putting The Team Back Together (3:39)
  8. Flying A Tank (6:10)
  9. Frankfurt (4:11)
  10. Retrieving The Plates (4:09)
  11. Safehouse (3:50)
  12. Safehouse Aftermath (4:58)
  13. Shell Game (2:44)
  14. The Docks Part 1 (7:35)
  15. The Docks Part 2 (5:47)
  16. “I Love It When A Plan Comes Together”/Original “The A-Team (Theme)” (5:26)

Marketing

Comics

In February 2010, it was announced a series of prequel comics for the movie would be released beginning in March. The comics will be published by IDW Publishing and will be written by Carnahan and Chuck Dixon. A toy line by Jazwares is also to be released to coincide with the film.[34]

Video game

An application for the iPhone was released as part of the marketing blitz for the film. The A-Team application is a side-scrolling, third person, action shooter game. Produced by RealNetworks, Inc. the game includes voice-overs from BA Baracus.[35]

Release

The film's first trailer was released January 8, 2010.[36] The film's second trailer was released April 1, 2010.[37]

The film premiered in Los Angeles on Thursday June 3, 2010, at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Liam Neeson arrived in the A-Team van, Bradley Cooper and Sharlto Copley rode in on a real U.S Army tank.[38][39]

The film premiered in the United Kingdom Tuesday July 27, before going on general release the next day. The event was attended by the four team members along with Jessica Biel, and the A-Team van.[40]

Reception

Critical response

The film received mixed reviews.[11] Review aggregate Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a normalized score of 48% based on 170 reviews (Top Critics: 44%; RT Community: 75%), with an average score of 5.4/10.[2] The critical consensus is: For better and for worse, Joe Carnahan's big-screen version of The A-Team captures the superficial, noisy spirit of the TV series.[2] Review aggregate Metacritic calculated a weighted average score of 47% based on 37 reviews.[11] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4.[41] Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman says of the film: "It's trash so compacted it glows". He gives the film a grade of B+.[42]

Richard Corliss of TIME magazine calls the film "the best in a mediocre lineup of summer action flicks". He goes on to say the film lacks "a coherent plot and complex characterization", though he does note that these qualities "are irrelevant to the genre".[43] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone magazine calls the film, "big, loud, ludicrous and edited into visual incomprehension," but "pity the fool who lets that stand in the way of enjoying The A-Team."[44] Contrastingly, Lou Lumenick of The New York Post, who titled his piece "Pity the fool who sees The A-Team", is among the most critical, calling the film "overlong, overblown and utterly forgettable."[45] The Hollywood Reporter criticizes the film's story, character development and logic, calling it "nearly writer free,"[46] whilst The St. Petersburg Times was far more positive, calling the film "literally a blast" from start to finish, and praises it for "containing more thrills than the average shoot-em-up".[47]

Film critic Roger Ebert of The Chicago Sun Times was especially critical, rating the film just one and a half out of a possible four stars, and said The A-Team is an incomprehensible mess, criticizing the film for being as shallow as the television series, which he describes as "punishment" when drawn out to a two hour long film.[48] Stephen Whitty of the Star-Ledger complains the film makers remembered little more from the television series than a Dirty Dozen gimmick and compares the film to the "awful" Smokin' Aces by the same director. He suggests a better plan would be to rent The Losers or wait for The Expendables. He concludes The A-Team is only C-grade.[49]

Comments by original cast

Benedict spoke of regretting his cameo, stating "You'll miss me if you blink. I kind of regret doing it because it's a non-part. They wanted to be able to say, 'Oh yeah, the original cast are in it,' but we're not. It is three seconds. It's kind of insulting."[50] Mr. T, the original B. A. Baracus, was offered a cameo, but turned it down.[51] In a 2010 interview with Script magazine director Joe Carnahan reported that Mr. T, after viewing scenes from the film, thought the final product was "the greatest thing in the world".[52] After the premiere of the film Mr. T allegedly stated that he had become disillusioned and felt the story emphasized sex and violence, and that it was unfaithful to the original series.[53] An attorney for Mr. T later stated that the actor had not yet seen the film and could not comment on it.[54]

Box office

The film has had an average performance at the box office. It fell slightly short of expectations for its opening weekend, earning $26m, as opposed to the initially predicted $30-35m.[3]. The film opened behind The Karate Kid, which took in $56m.[55][56] [Parade Magazine] ranked the film #10 in its list of "Biggest Box Office Flops of 2010."[57]

As of August 2, 2010, The A-Team has taken $76.5m at the US box office, and $74.5m internationally, for a worldwide total of over $151m. The movie opened at #3 in the UK/Ireland on July 28, 2010, with a first weekend haul of $5.6m[4]

References

  1. ^ "Sharlto Copley and Jessica Biel to join Joe Carnahan's 'A-Team'". Blog.reelloop.com. 2009-09-18. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  2. ^ a b c "The A-Team Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2010-07-24.
  3. ^ a b c Fritz, Ben (June 10, 2010). "Movie projector: The Karate Kid' and 'The A-Team' fight it out in battle of the '80s". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2010-06-10. on track to sell between $30 million and $35 million worth of tickets at the box office this weekend, people who have seen pre-release polling results say.
  4. ^ a b c The A-Team at Box Office Mojo Amazon.com Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  5. ^ "The A-Team". The Numbers.
  6. ^ Plan Coming Together for The A-Team, Variety, March 19, 2008
  7. ^ A-Team Hopes to Bring "A" Game to Silver Screen (originally published by yahoo tv).
  8. ^ "Ridley Scott to remake The A-Team". BBC News. BBC. 2009-01-28. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  9. ^ Fleming, Michael (2009-01-27). "Fox assembles 'A-Team'". Variety. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  10. ^ http://www.servinghistory.com/topics/The_A-Team_film::sub::Development
  11. ^ a b c "The A-Team". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  12. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/s50/battlestar-galactica/news/a220281/dirk-benedict-criticises-bsg-remake.html
  13. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8Bcjs-KhjQ
  14. ^ Vena, Jocelyn. "EXCLUSIVE: Jessica Biel Reveals New Details About Her 'A-Team' Character". MTV Movies Blog. Viacom. (Video)
  15. ^ Sperling, Nicole (2009-09-15). "'A-Team' remake casting update: 'District 9' star Sharlto Copley to play Murdoch; Jessica Biel to also star | EW.com". Hollywoodinsider.ew.com. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  16. ^ Lemire, Christy (2010-06-09). "Surprisingly, movie version of '80s TV series 'The A-Team' is flat-out fun". Winnipeg Free Press. Retrieved 2010-07-23.
  17. ^ A-Team Movie Update, September 4, 2006
  18. ^ "Singleton Quits A-Team Movie". Imdb.com. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  19. ^ Morales, Wilson (2008-01-09). "Ice Cube Talks About Playing B.A. Baracus In 'A-Team' Movie". Bvonmovies.com. Retrieved 2010-07-23.
  20. ^ Fleming, Michael (2009-06-08). "Liam Neeson in talks for 'A-Team'". Variety. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
  21. ^ Russ Firscher (2009-05-20). "Exclusive: Bradley Cooper says he isn't jumping on the A-Team's van". chud.com. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  22. ^ "UFC's Quinton Jackson not playing B. A. Baracus in "The A-Team" movie remake". August 26, 2009. Retrieved 2009-08-26.
  23. ^ Tim Parks (August 27, 2009). "Movies - News - Quinton Jackson 'not joining A-Team'". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  24. ^ Steve Cofield (2009-09-04). "Rampage gets Mr. T role in 'A-Team' movie, will not fight at UFC 107". Yahoo! Sports. Yahoo! Inc. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  25. ^ "Quinton "Rampage" Jackson out of UFC 107 fight against Rashad Evans". Five Ounces Of Pain. Retrieved 2009-09-09.
  26. ^ Dave mcnary (September 15, 2009). "Liam Neeson in talks for 'A-Team'". Variety. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
  27. ^ Sperling, Nicole (2009-09-15). "'A-Team' remake casting update: 'District 9' star Sharlto Copley to play Murdoch; Jessica Biel to also star". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved 2009-10-09.
  28. ^ Donna McConnell (2009-10-01). "Silver-haired Liam Neeson commands The A-Team as new look cast seen for the first time". The Daily Mail. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  29. ^ "Entertainment Tonight's Set Visit and Our Official First Look at the A-Team". News in Film. 2009-10-23.
  30. ^ "Dwight Schultz plays cameo part in new A-team movie".
  31. ^ ""Prescription:Murder" and "The A-Team"". Dirk Benedict Central. Retrieved 2010-07-23.
  32. ^ "Alan Silvestri has been slated to score 'The A-Team' for director Joe Carnahan". 2009-12-01. cf. "Alan Silvestri slated to score 'The A-Team'". Movie Score Magazine. 2009-12-02.
  33. ^ Goldwasser, Dan (August 4, 2010). "Alan Silvestri scores The A-Team". ScoringSessions.com. Retrieved August 4, 2010.
  34. ^ "THE A-TEAM Comic Book Series Will Act as a Prequel to the Movie". Collider.com. 2010-02-23. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  35. ^ Meghann Myers (June 25, 2010). "The A-Team for iPhone". MacWorld.com.
  36. ^ "The A-Team Trailer". Trailer Addict. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  37. ^ Alex Billington (2010-04-01). "Must Watch: Second Brand New Trailer for Fox's The A-Team". Firstshowing.net. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  38. ^ Ruthven, Hunter (2010-06-04). "Liam Neeson stars at A-Team movie premiere". The Daily Telegraph. London.
  39. ^ "'A-Team' Premiere: Bradley Cooper In A Tank, Liam Neeson & Jessica Biel (PHOTOS)".
  40. ^ http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1298125/A-Team-movie-Jessica-Biels-sheer-red-dress-reveals-black-underwear-London-premiere.html
  41. ^ Peter Travers (Jun 10, 2010). "The A-Team". Rolling Stone magazine. Wenner Media.
  42. ^ Owen Gleiberman (June 10, 2010). "The A-Team". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc.
  43. ^ Richard Corliss. "A-Team". TIME Magazine.
  44. ^ Peter Travers. "The A-Team". Rolling Stone.
  45. ^ Lou Lumenick. "The A-Team". The New York Post.
  46. ^ Kirk Honeycutt. "The A-Team". The Hollywood Reporter.
  47. ^ Steve Persall. "The A-Team". St. Petersburg Times.
  48. ^ Roger Ebert. "A-Team". Chicago Sun Times.
  49. ^ Stephen Whitty (June 11, 2010). The Star-Ledger. Newark http://www.nj.com/entertainment/movies/index.ssf/2010/06/the_a-team_movie_review_revisiting_tvs_a-team_without_a_plan.html. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  50. ^ Catriona Wightman (May 17, 2010). "Cult - News - Dirk Benedict criticises 'BSG' remake". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2010-06-10.
  51. ^ "News: Exclusive: Sorry Fans, Mr. T Will Not Appear In The A-Team Remake". Latino Review. 2009-12-24. Retrieved 2010-05-17.
  52. ^ "There is No Plan B: Roundtable with The A-Team Writers", Script 16 (3), May/June 2010, p. 46 sqq.; cf. William Martell, Script Magazine interview of The A-Team movie creators" (part 2) on YouTube
  53. ^ "News: Mr. T Is Not a Fan of the New 'A-Team'".
  54. ^ Bierly, Mandi (2010-06-10). "Mr. T denies saying 'A-Team' movie is 'too graphic'". Popwatch.ew.com. Retrieved 2010-07-23.
  55. ^ "Weekend Estimates: Karate Kid Defeats A-Team". The-Numbers.com. 2010-06-13. Retrieved 2010-07-28.
  56. ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=ateam.htm
  57. ^ "10 Biggest Box Office Flops of 2010 (So Far)". Parade Magazine. July 19, 2010.

External links

External images
image icon Gallery of promotional images at Box Office Mojo
image icon A-Team Poster
image icon Cast group
image icon Quentin Jackson as BA Baracus
image icon Jessica Biel as Charisa Sosa
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_A-Team_(film)&oldid=378243742"