The Expendables
2010
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statum, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Gary Daniels, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke
Genre: Action
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $274 million
2010
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statum, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Gary Daniels, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke
Genre: Action
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $274 million
Plot: A CIA operative hires a team of mercenaries to eliminate a Latin dictator and a renegade CIA agent
For its lack of depth, The Expendables exists as a throwback or homage towards action films of the 1980s and 1990s. Yet as an action film, one is more focused on the action and less so the little details; the way I see it with the Expendables is it serves as a representation of every and any other action flick circa-1980s and 1990s, only with added star- power in Bruce Willis, Arnie, Stallone, Jet Li, as well as Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statum: throw in Gary Daniels, Eric Roberts, Steve Austin as the baddies, action stars of whom had this been a B-version of The Expendables featuring direct-to-DVD actors, they could've and might have been the heroes of this film, and be it a franchise, and you have yourself something that action movie fanatics can lap up.
'The First In The Trio'
I entered the film with less emphasis on the story, which comfortably subsists on a Direct-to-DVD-level, although that in itself, did catch my attention as it wore on, as to how The Expendables would be played out onscreen, and when it came to the action, there was plenty of it on show. The story was better than the dialogue, which isn't worth shouting about but still, one doesn't pay too much attention to this aspect through Stallone, Jet Li, Statum, and even some MMA/UFC representation through Randy Couture. Rambo's Stallone leads the charge as a soldier, Barney Ross as he and his ragtag team of old school middle-aged -yet skilful mercenaries are hired to take out a South American dictator, only to go up against an ex-CIA operative and find themselves in the middle of a botched CIA operation.
As a standard, standalone actioner, it does exactly what it says on the tin: it makes no bones about the fact that it is a pure, out-&-out gung-ho action film with lots of guns, shooting, hand-to-hand fighting, good guys facing bad guys and seeing this represented by not just one action movie star, but plenty of others on board for the ride. It doesn't take itself seriously and fully embraces the nostalgia aspect of action films, with the violence akin to that of Die Hard, Rambo and Schwarzenegger's Commando, which is to be expected. Yet The Expendables' weakness lies in the female characters: the Latina Sandra, who is a resistance fighter, who gets kidnapped, abused and is left to be rescued and Jason Statham's character's onscreen girlfriend, who leaves him to be with another guy - only to be a victim of domestic violence. Jet Li does okay, but his role here isn't really sufficient enough to leave a mark, whilst Dolph Lundgren wasn't given a lot to do, compared to the follow-up sequel, whereas they could have done a lot more with Steve Austin as well.
The Expendables was released back in 2010 and covers all the bases as previously seen in hundreds of other action films of the 1980s and 1990s, but of which have been noticeably absent throughout over the 2000s, right into the 2010s and now beyond from a Hollywood cinematic experience. Besides, whilst it doesn't wow me or leaves me shellshocked, this is, still, after all, a shoot-em' up, beat'-em-up fest, not Casablanca.
Had the Expendables been made in the late 1980s or during the 1990s, with Jean-Claude Van Damme, Steven Segal, Jackie Chan, Billy Blanks, the two Jeff's: Wincott and Speakman, Brandon Lee - had he still been alive and his career was thriving- Michelle Yeoh, Cynthia Rothrock, Donnie Yen, alongside Jet Li, Stallone, Schwarzenegger etc during the height of the action movie craze, then we'd be looking at perhaps a greater action film that what we have seen in the 2010-produced effort.
Final Verdict:
The Expendables isn't amazing by any sense, and whilst and despite being heavily cliched and predictable, one could see how the movie would unravel, as an action film, it still has all its bases covered. Unapologetic, brainless, brain dead -yet full of brawn, it knows exactly what it wants to be, which is an action flick; and its attempts to do so with minimal fuss that there is little for me to have gripes with.
The Expendables isn't amazing by any sense, and whilst and despite being heavily cliched and predictable, one could see how the movie would unravel, as an action film, it still has all its bases covered. Unapologetic, brainless, brain dead -yet full of brawn, it knows exactly what it wants to be, which is an action flick; and its attempts to do so with minimal fuss that there is little for me to have gripes with.
Overall:
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