A far cry from the Hollywood Hills, Chris Evans and Columbus Short run through the humid jungles of Puerto Rico carrying assault rifles and shotguns while learning military tactics and the art of clearing out an enemy-filled room without being shot.
These lessons were given by Harry Humphries, a former navy seal turned Hollywood consultant. Previously, he commanded a mercenary unit of 250 men through two tours in Vietnam, earning him the Purple Heart and both the Silver and Bronze Stars for gallantry and bravery. What Humphries learned in battle is now used on actors in order to educate them about what Evans calls, “worlds [they] would otherwise not touch.”
That particular world is the world of “The Losers,” the newest film directed by Sylvain White, based on the graphic novel from DC Comics written by Andy Diggle and illustrated by Jock.
“The Losers” is centerted around a group of CIA agents-turned-fugitives after they were double-crossed by an enemy, Max, played by Jason Patric.
The film stars Chris Evans as Jensen, computer whiz and hacker extraordinaire with a quick tongue and a fiery wit. “I tend to play smart asses,” said Evans. Alongside Evans is Columbus Short as Pooch, the transportation and heavy arms specialist, trying to make it back home to his family. Although Short may be the “driver,” he assured viewers he was “not the Morgan Freeman of the group.”
Despite all the big guns and dramatic potential, “The Losers” is not all serious, and neither was the making of the film. “There was a lot of Yo Momma jokes on set,” said Evans. Director White, who encouraged the cast to make as many as possible, started the Yo Momma trend. White’s strategy paid off according to Evans, who feels it “helped with the chemistry of the cast.”
Both Evans and Short agree chemistry is important when making a team action comedy in the likes of “Bad Boys” or “Lethal Weapon” because the audience needs to know the team will stick together.
However, the audience also needs to be entertained. Evans and Short agree “The Losers” will deliver on that as well. “This move will stand out” said Short, “because of the source material.” He is referring to the graphic novel that he described as “fantastic, period.”
The actors describe the film as a mix of drama, intensity, action and comedy—all the good stuff involved in an enjoyable night at the cinema. The movie hits theaters April 23. With that, Short replied, “Your mamma’s got that good stuff!” Walked right into it.
Just to let you know, this post appears a little bit odd from my smart phone. Who knows maybe it really is just my mobile phone. Great post by the way.
I’m not sure if it’s me but it looks like the page layout is a bit skewed to the left. it might be my version of firefox though. anyway educational site. cheers Omar Yasseen