The Losers (1970) in the PNW

The Losers (1970)

"The Losers" is loud, grubby, and convinced that attitude counts for artistry. It wears its exploitation roots like a badge and never bothers to pretend it is anything else. The movie trades on shock value and stunt work and treats nuance like a luxury it cannot afford.

 

William Smith gives the kind of presence that keeps the whole thing from collapsing into pure chaos, but even he is mostly a vessel for macho posturing rather than a person you get to know. The script is thin and the supporting cast do what they can with scraps. The production looks and feels cheap in ways that are sometimes charming and often just sloppy. The stunts land with a raw immediacy the dialogue never approaches, and the film seems to believe that piling on more violence will somehow stand in for meaning.

 

If you are after a thoughtful look at war or a moral reckoning you will be frustrated. If you want greasy action, a time capsule of exploitation era instincts, and a movie that never apologizes for its own sleaze you might find it perversely entertaining. "The Losers" is not subtle, it is not deep, and it knows it.

 

Director: Jack Starrett

Writer: Alan Caillou

Stars: William Smith, Bernie Hamilton, Adam Roarke