This one's a little different because it wasn't a film but a television programme. I'm sure most Americans and probably many who aren't, who were around in the early to mid 1980s would remember "The A-Team." For those who don't, "The A-Team" was about a crack military unit who served in Vietnam and were sentenced to ten years in a military prison for a crime they didn't commit. They promptly escaped and made a living as soldiers of fortune.
In each episode, they go around righting any perceived wrong brought to them by the victim. I remember in the first series, they did such things as rescue a rich man's daughter from a nut case religious cult, bust one of the team's friends out of prison while at the same time exposing the warden's illegal fight programme and help some down trodden workers form a union. In each episode there was a lot of bullets flying but rarely did anyone get hit and of course, The A-Team would win the day.
What I liked and what many people agreed made the show so successful was the characters. There was the leader of the team, John 'Hannibal' Smith played by George Peppard. In every epidsode, you could count on him saying the line, "I love it when a plan comes together." Then there was Templeton Peck, played by Dirk Benedict. He had the looks and charm to get anything for the team. Arguably the favourite of many fans was B.A. Barracus played my Mr. T. He was all muscle and power and that was what the group sometimes needed. However, my favourite character was the crazy HM Murdoch played by Dwight Schultz. When I tuned in each week, I couldn't wait to see what crazy caper he was going to get up to in that episode. He made me laugh each week. Some of my favourites are Captain Cab, the Range Rider and Bogie the Bear but the best was when we was in the prison psych unit screaming "Trash bag!" every few minutes.
Now some might be asking how did this film Rambo-ize youth? After all, some of their victories were actually on behalf of caused that might be considered left wing, like the formation of a union. Well, back in 1983, a tv review stated that the reason why the programme was so successful was because at the time, America was looking for heroes. The A-Team provided that. No matter how left or right the cause, the A-Team would solve the problem through tactics, stealth and above all, superior firepower. The show gave many young Americans the impression that problems could be solved by the use of a firearm, even if no one actually got killed and this is why Hollywood used the TV show in their quest to Rambo-ize the youth.
