Directed by:
Sylvester StalloneCinematography:
Jeffrey L. KimballComposer:
Brian TylerCast:
Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, David Zayas, Giselle Itié, Charisma Carpenter (more)VOD (5)
Plots(1)
Barney Ross (SYLVESTER STALLONE) is a man with nothing to lose. Fearless and void of emotion he is the leader, the sage and the strategist of this tight knit band of men who live on the fringe. His only attachment is to his pickup truck, his seaplane, and his team of loyal modern day warriors. He is a true cynic who describes what he does as “removing those hard to get at stains”. The team behind him is made up of Lee Christmas (JASON STATHAM), former SAS and a savant with anything that has a blade, Yin Yang (JET LI), a master at close quarter combat, Hale Caesar (TERRY CREWS), who has known Barney for 10 years and is a long barrel weapons specialist, Toll Road (RANDY COUTURE), a skilled demolitions expert and considered the intellect of the group and Gunnar Jensen (DOLPH LUNDGREN), a combat veteran and an expert in precision sniping who struggles with his own demons. When the mysterious Church (TBD) offers Barney a job no one else would take, Barney and his team of expendables embark on what appears to be a routine mission; over throw General Gaza (DAVID ZAYAS), the murderous dictator of the small island country of Vilena and end the years of death and destruction inflicted on its people. On a reconnaissance mission to Vilena, Barney and Christmas meet their contact, Sandra (GISELLE ITIE), a local freedom fighter with a dark secret. They also come to learn who their true enemy is; rogue ex-CIA operative James Monroe (ERIC ROBERTS) and his henchman Paine (STEVE AUSTIN). When things go terribly wrong, Barney and Christmas are forced to leave Sandra behind, essentially giving her a death sentence. Haunted by this failure Barney convinces the team to return to Vilena to rescue the hostage and finish the job he started. And to perhaps save a soul... his own. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (11)
Stallone is such an experienced hard worker and intelligent person that he basically confirmed what was expected, and he doesn't disappoint in The Expendables. He made exactly what was expected of him, paying homage to classic action movies of the past decade. There is a clear and distinctive directorial style (gore, action), which is a good thing, of course. But on the other hand, considering that the last Rambo was made by the same director, I would have expected a more coherent action. Overall, it is watchable, so mission accomplished.
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Arnold’s back... It worked! Stallone proved that a bunch of action legends won’t get in each other’s way, they can work together as a team in a movie about guys, for guys. The action is some top-notch, good, honest work that cost a lot of blood, sweat and broken bones, and the end result is totally worth it. The bombastic finale, the brawls and the brilliant old-style car chase. It’s beautiful. The cast is a whole other chapter of its own. THAT scene is milked to the last one-liner, every wink, every little jab is a sight to sore eyes for someone who was brought up on these old guys. Jason Statham has broken the jinx of co-starring fails with Jet Li. And Jet’s grumbling little squirt is such an impossibly nice guy, it’s incredible. Dolph Lundgren, one word – awesome. Ok, I’ll cut it short, but I must mention Eric Roberts who, if you don’t count the bad guy monolog, had almost exclusively snappy lines. And Tyler’s music rumbled away in all the right ways. A heartfelt matter. ...Arnold left. Now Sly’s here. Warning shot!
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I can understand people who give The Expendables full stars, as well as those who write it off, wave their hand, throw one star or a Boo! at it, and move on... See, this film was not made for them. I, however, belong to the first group and I'm damn happy about it. As a fan of good old action movies where one word spoken equaled ten cartridges fired, I am in seventh heaven. "Action movie of the year," I want to say. I don't know exactly where Stallone got the time machine, but he deserves admiration, applause, and admiration a second time for bringing this 1980's flick to us. The film is literally packed with action, there is no shortage of humor and some suspense, the whole muscular spectacle is further enhanced by Tyler's good soundtrack... The cast of heroes is superbly acted and they work well together, you would have little to criticize the villains for if you came face to face with them, the action scenes are raw, sometimes beautifully overwrought, and especially towards the end so explosive that you can only stare at the screen and watch the action either mute or with occasional cries of amazement. Sly made it happen, what more do you want? You could feel the good old days when these gentlemen were serious about everything, and when you look at them you have to smile nostalgically... __P.S. I’d like to see the sequel as soon as possible, please.__P.P.S. I with Chuck, Steven and Jean-Claude.
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I was absolutely sure that I wouldn't like it, but from time to time one must endure mental torture in order to appreciate even more the movies that are truly worth watching. Half of the members of the cast I categorize as "My Least Favorite Nightmares," and some of them, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, I don't consider actors, but rather stereotypical figures, while others, like Sylvester Stallone, as below-average actors, and it is characteristic that if a quality action actor like Bruce Willis appears in something like this, they just briefly show up on the screen. The Expendables pay homage to violent action films from the 80s with muscle-bound heroes and these sorts of productions didn't make the slightest impression on me even at 15 years old, let alone today. Action productions that I appreciate include titles such as Indiana Jones, Die Hard, or the Bourne series, in general, movies that rely on a quality screenplay and top-notch acting. The Expendables is just as dim-witted as its genre predecessors and the scene of the contract negotiation in a church, which has humor, can't save it. For me, The Expendables is the same as a really strong cigar for a devoted non-smoker. Overall impression: 15%.
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Films of this kind can never excite me, already from their very basic nature – heroes that only rely on their muscles can never be heroes to me (and they aren’t). The Expendables are a celebration of dumb brute force – and a pretty expendable film as far as I’m concerned. Long live modern action films that rely on something other than how long and how often a hero on ‘roids can drop “funny” wisecracks. Back in the 80s, that may have had its charm (which I can feel even today when I watch those old films), but I don’t see any reason to go back to that. PS: The church scene was incredibly artificial and forced, like the rest of the film. PS2: The inferno at the end is pretty cool in the details but utterly confusing as a whole.
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Gallery (129)
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