WHO knew Dame Vanessa Redgrave was a fan of The A-Team? That's according to her son-in-law Liam Neeson, who took Redgrave and his sons Michael, 15, and Daniel, 13, to a screening of his new film.

"Three-quarters of the way through I looked at her and she was like this," says Neeson, sitting forward with his chin resting on the back of his hand.

"I said, 'Vanessa, are you following this?' and she replied, "I'm a little bit confused but I love every second of it.''

Sitting beside him are Bradley Cooper, Quinton 'Rampage' Jackson and Sharlto Copley who, together with Neeson, form the all new A-Team. They burst out laughing at the wonderful idea of theatrical royalty watching their all-action movie.

One of the most successful series of the 1980s, The A-Team focused on the exploits of four Vietnam veterans who – after being accused of a crime they didn't commit – were forced to go underground and become soldiers of fortune who fought injustice, while trying to clear their names.

The team's famous black GMC van remains in the big-screen version, along with the gang's characteristic camaraderie and humour – but the plot and tone have been modernised.

"We all sort of paid homage to the actors and characters form the TV show but after that we made (director) Joe Carnahan's movie," says Neeson, 58, who plays the pivotal role of Colonel John 'Hannibal' Smith, a master tactician who's always one step ahead of the enemy.

"You can't be burdened by thinking, 'Oh we must recreate George Peppard (the actor who played Hannibal in the TV show). That would be silly and wasteful and stupid for the 21st century, so we just tipped our hat to various iconic elements the characters had."

For Liam that meant lighting up Hannibal's trademark stogie. "I tell you it was tough, I am a nicotine addict," he says. "I've been off cigarettes for 16 years now but Joe insisted I smoke real cigars."

Bradley Cooper, of The Hangover fame, plays Lieutenant Templeton 'Face' Peck, the handsome and charismatic conman who, when he isn't working on his tan, can talk anyone into anything.

Cool 'Howlin Mad' Murdock, a clever yet mentally unstable chopper pilot, is played by Shalto Copley.

"What really excited me was the dangerous element to Murdock's character, combined with the humour," says South African Copley, 36.

While there are certain phrases from the original series which made it the big screen – such as Hannibal's "I love it when a plan comes together" – Mr T's infamous, "I pity da fool" line, is simply referenced in the tattoos of Quinton Jackson.

The 32-year-old actor had a tough act to follow when he took on the role of B.A. Baracus – a skilled driver, mechanic and tough-as-nails fighter.

The four of them spend most of the time teasing one other, so it's no surprise to hear they had a huge amount of fun during filming. "There were no egos; they were left at the door. It was fantastic," says Neeson and he adds their camaraderie is what he's "most proud of".

"Our chemistry on screen is there, it's very palpable and it was a joy to go to work every day with these boys."