Today sees the release of The Losers, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans (not that one) and Psychologies office favourite Idris Elba (aka Stringer Bell).
The film features a gang of highly trained operatives, betrayed by the system, who fight for justice outside the law. Sound familiar? Yep, it’s basically exactly the same plot as the film version of The A-Team (released 28 July) and Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables (20 August). It’s a trend, and one that certainly wouldn’t pass the Bechdel Test.
So, if movies are reflective of society’s cultural mood, why are audiences so keen to see grizzly, musclebound, wisecracking men fighting a system that rejected them?
Is it because men are feeling emasculated after a rash of female-focused movies this year (It’s Complicated, Whip It and a little film called Sex And The City 2)?
Is it because our political system is currently such a juvenile shambles that fighting ‘the man’ is a very tempting prospect?
Or is it simply so that journalists can enjoy comparing three fun shoot-em-ups?
You might dismiss these films as mindless, testosterone-charged nonsense but I, for one, am a fan. The Losers is funny, exciting and features the best use of Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’ since Glee. Also, after so many lone-wolf superhero movies (Batman, Iron Man, Superman, Spider-Man, etc) it’s nice to see the ‘team’ element of being a hero brought to the fore.
These men aren’t just heroes: they’re friends. I approve. What do you think?
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