5. The Humour
I can never watch this film without laughing, in part because its so ridiculous (Hows my driving?), and in part because you get swept up in all the fun the characters are clearly having. This is a film that is proud to wear its brashness on its sleeve, and is actually funnier than this kind of movie should be- every character brings their own brand of humour to it- Liam Neeson because hes Liam Neeson, Bradley Cooper acts like a child on a sugar rush when it comes to the action scenes, Sharlto Copley proves a master improviser, Quinton Jacksons mood swings are a particular highlight Fox could do worse than market this as an overblown comedy. Because this was the second-funniest film I saw in 2010 (after Four Lions), and not as visually stunning or thrilling as, say, Inception or Tron Legacy. If this was sold as a dumbed-down Shane Black- style film with a bigger budget, it would have been about half right (not that Im comparing the script to anything Shane Black has ever written, but I hope you get my point). If its not the best action film Ive ever seen, its certainly a winning comedy, and always top of my list for a pizza-and-beer night with some mates. The humour is a factor that always holds up for me on repeat viewings, and I imagine a sequel would have much the same effect.