The Expendables is a film somewhat like that, the viewer knows exactly what they will and will not be getting in this movie, and this film delivers on all those expectations.
The story deals with a pack of mercenaries, taking jobs and making money; simple and straightforward. This film follows them on one particular mission that’s supposed to be their hardest mission yet, as they have been hired to take down a tyrant in a small Latin region.
The tale is your typical hero vs. villain recipe and will not surprise anyone how it plays out. Character development is all but completely absent in this movie as the characters are already fully developed individuals, again this is a film penned by Stallone, so don’t expect Hemmingway.
So to make amends, this movie brings together a crapload of action stars, packs immense explosions and has more guns than an army reserve bunker.
Had Stallone marqueed himself as the one big name in action for this film, it likely would have been a bust, fortunately he was smart enough to flank himself with some of the best names in action today. Jason Statham, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, Mickey Rourke and even walk-on appearances by Bruce Willis and The Governator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, fill out most of the bill for this film; it’s like if someone went up to Spike TV and said “money’s no object, make a movie”.
The action is the draw to this movie and damn it doesn’t let you down. This is a movie about big guns, big explosions, vehicles flipping and fists flying. Every action sequence has at least a small handful of novelties that shine through, whether it be Jet Li displaying his martial arts prowess, Terry Crews brandishing an automatic shotgun that could flatten a small nation, or a mouth-watering and inevitable showdown with Randy Couture and Steve Austin, every piece of action separates itself from the rest in its own way.
The soundtrack of this film is a round-up of typical “manly” type tunes, as a smattering of classic rock and hard rock make up the musical ambiance of this movie; do the songs all make sense to be in this movie or apply to their scenes? No, but they’re manly, damn it!
The special effects could have stood some more attention, as blood effects looked cartoony and green screens were glaringly obvious, but it didn’t cripple the movie and take away from its point: action.
Really this movie had, in my mind, three purposes:
The first was to let the audience check their brains at the door and suspend their belief of physics and reality for an hour and a half while taking them on an easy-to-follow thrill ride of action, excitement, and the occasional laugh.
The second, and likely the more intended purpose, was for Stallone to say “I’ve still got it”. Sly is in terrific shape and it shows especially during a triple stare-down scene with Stallone, Bruce Willis and Arnold. I wish this scene happened 15-20 years ago when these three men were in their prime and this would have been monumental; the scene did still put a shiver in the spines of the audience, but it was more nostalgic value rather than a true belief that serious crap could go down at any second. But yes, Sly has shown that of those three, he’s still the one with the body and look of an action star. Also he probably just wanted to show off his tattoos, I know whenever I get new ink done I want to show it to everyone.
The third and, in my opinion, most important reason of this film was that it felt like a passing of the torch. Yes the primary focus of this film was Stallone showing he’s still got it, but his efforts were blown out of the water by Jason Statham and Jet Li seemingly taking turns trying to one up each other and prove once and for all who is “the man” for this generation of action stars. Not to take away from the performances of the remaining cast, but these two both raised their game in this film and hopefully this will build an action rivalry like that of Stallone and Schwarzenegger in 80s.
Again, the story is nothing groundbreaking and follows a basic formula, while character development is hardly recognized; Mickey Rourke does lend his great acting skills to provide some depth to this tale, but let’s face it, Stallone doesn’t pen heart-tugging and memorably contemplative scenes. The special effects are cheesie quite often and the musical score is simply there to make you feel your testosterone levels rising. All this considered, I can’t believe I enjoyed this movie. This is an action film that served its purpose and won’t leave a die hard action fan disappointed; those o you looking for a story with more depth, however, you have been warned.
My one big disappointment with this film is that they should have included some of the younger action stars, the up-and-comers. We have the action stars of yesteryear being represented with the A-listers (maybe minus Mr. T) and a terrific buffet of current action stars and performers who are known for other forms of action (Couture and Austin) lending their experience to the cast, but there was nothing from the next generation of young action stars who have proven that they can hang in a lead action role but just haven’t quite grabbed that prestige yet. Getting younger stars like Chris Evans, Sam Worthington and Ryan Reynolds would have really rounded up this passing-of-the-torch ceremony of a movie, as Statham and Li would receive it from the old heroes, but can see the ones they will be handing off to in the coming years; heck even adding Dwayne Johnson, he was being pushed as the next big action star a few years back, what happened there?.. oh yeah… The Tooth Fairy happened…
Despite all of this movie’s glaring flaws, it’s still worth going and seeing with the guys after a round of beers and nachos. It’s not a movie for everyone, since it will leave the squeamish and those who prefer a wonderfully told tale over action out in the dark, but if you’re a real fan of just plain old simple action and thrills, then this movie will be worth the price of admission.