The A Team

PLOT

John "Hannibal" Smith is held captive in Mexico by two Federal Police officers working for renegade General Javier Tuco. Hannibal escapes and sets out to rescue his friend Templeton "Face" Peck, who is held captive at Tuco's ranch. Hannibal saves Face after enlisting his teammate Ranger, B.A. Baracus, driving to the rescue in BA's modified GMC Vandura. Pursued by Tuco, they stop at a nearby Army Hospital to recruit the services of their pilot Howling Mad Murdock. They flee in a medical helicopter, chased by Tuco, in a dogfight that leaves BA with a phobia of flying. The battle ends when they lure Tuco's helicopter into American airspace, where it is shot down by an F-22 Raptor for trespassing, killing Tuco and his men.

Eight years later in Iraq, Hannibal is contacted by CIA Special Activities Division operative Lynch, who assigns them on a black operation to recover U.S. Treasury plates and over $1 billion in cash slated to move out of Baghdad in an armored convoy. Hannibal's commanding officer, General Morrison, consents to the operation but Face's former girlfriend, Defense Criminal Investigative Service Capt. Charissa Sosa, tries to discourage the team against getting the plates. The mission is successful, but when the team returns to base, both the money and Morrison's vehicle are destroyed by soldier Brock Pike and his men from the private security firm Black Forest. Without Morrison (the only proof that they were authorized to act), Hannibal, Face, Murdock, and BA are court-martialled, sentenced to ten years in separate prisons, and dishonorably discharged. Because the plates were her responsibility, Sosa also ended up court-martialled and is demoted to lieutenant.

Six months later, Lynch visits Hannibal in prison and tells him 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: full reinstatement and clean records for his team in return for the plates. Lynch agrees and Hannibal escapes, breaking out Face, BA, and Murdock in the process. The team hijacks a C-130, which is later destroyed by Reaper UCAVs, but not before the team parachutes away in a tank stashed aboard and make it to the ground safely. The team moves to reclaim the plates and are able to kidnap Pike's backer. It is revealed that the backer is actually General Morrison in disguise since he plotted with Lynch and Pike to steal the plates but teamed up with Pike to double-cross Lynch and fake his death. Lynch orders an airstrike to kill the team and Morrison, but the team manages to escape whilst Morrison dies in the explosion.

Hannibal arranges to meet Sosa on board a container ship at the Los Angeles Port, saying he will hand over "Morrison" and the plates. Face then calls Sosa on a drop phone he planted on her at a train station earlier, and conspires a different plan with her. It all unfolds according to plan until Pike, who is now working with Lynch, blows up the container ship with a bazooka and chases Face to near death. BA (having converted to Buddhism while in prison) finally gives up his pacifist ways and confronts Pike before breaking his neck and spinal cord, killing him and saving Face's life. Hannibal leads Lynch into a container with Murdock, who, wearing a covered bullet-proof helmet filled with ketchup, is portraying Morrison. Lynch shoots at Murdock's head, believing that he killed Morrison, and is later tricked into admitting that he stole the plates, but is subsequently caught and arrested by Sosa for his crimes.

The CIA agents led by a separate "Lynch" comes and claims custody of the original one. Despite their success and proving themselves innocent, the military still arrests the team for escaping from prison, also a crime; they and Sosa are angered by this, since it is only being done so Sosa's boss does not have to fill out paperwork. Sosa's boss even tries to cover their tracks because of their screw up. Sosa is reinstated to captain, but she promises to do all she can to set the team free and kisses Face as everybody is led into a prison van. In the van, the team starts saying that the system has burned them again, but Hannibal tells them that there is always a way out of any situation, and turns towards Face, who smiles and says "I don't want to steal your line, boss, but... I love it when a plan comes together" and opens his mouth, revealing a handcuff key given to him by Sosa through the kiss. The final scene includes a narration (spoken by Corey Burton) similar to the show's opening narration.

CAST

Liam Neeson as John "Hannibal" Smith

Bradley Cooper as Templeton "Face" Peck

Quinton "Rampage" Jackson as Bosco "B. A." Baracus

Sharlto Copley as H. M. "Howling Mad" Murdock

Jessica Biel as Charissa Sosa [9]

Patrick Wilson as Vance Burress / Agent Lynch[10]

Jon Hamm as Other Lynch (uncredited)

Brian Bloom as Brock Pike. Bloom was also a writer on the film.[11]

Gerald McRaney as General Russell Morrison

Terry Chen as Ravech

Maury Sterling as Gammon

Henry Czerny as Director McCready

C. Ernst Harth as Crematorium Attendant

Omari Hardwick as Chop Shop Jay

Corey Burton as Narrator

In a post credits scene, original series actors Dirk Benedict (Face) and Dwight Schultz (Murdock) have cameos with their film equivalents Bradley Cooper and Sharlto Copley. Benedict plays Face's fellow tanning bed client, credited as "Pensacola Prisoner Milt," and Schultz plays the German neurologist who examines Murdock.