The Expendables (2010) User Reviews

Big action balls!!!

[Mash-the-stampede · 7/10 · 14 September 2010]

So I guess with any film review - it's all about the answers to the important questions. So let's get them out of the way first shall we?

Q) Is the plot descent, with a substantial storyline including dramatic arcs, twists and/or turns?

A) Not particularly.

Q) Are there character arcs and meaningful character developments?

A) A little.

Q) Is there romance?

A) Next question, please.

Q) Is the overall film original?

A) Not at all.

Q) Is it a likely Oscar nomination contender?

A) Hell no!

Q) Is it still awesome?

A) HELL YES!!!!!

Critics should be banned from reviewing films such as these. Anyone with half a brain can tell exactly what kind of film this is and what they're in for purely by the film's trailer alone.

This is a film made for action movie fans and not just regular action movies - I mean REAL action films in the style of the classic 80's action movies where plot and substantial character developments and dialogue took a backseat to intense over-the-top violence, explosions, car chases, sex scenes and catchy, memorable one liners!

The 80's action hero (and villain) breed was a rare phenomenon which will likely die with those very actors who gave them life. No 90's or new millennium "action" movie star will ever come close to being anywhere near as genuinely tough and just plain bad-arse as their 80's predecessor's! Even now with the main 'Expendables' cast pushing 60 +, you know that they would snap Matt Damon's spine in 2 with one hand tied behind their backs!

The 'Expendables' cast consists of Sly Stallone as the fearless leader of the team, Jason (Basketball stabber) Statham as the trusty knife-throwing sidekick, Dolph Lundgren as the treacherous giant one, Jet-Li as the small one, Terry Chews as Wesley Snipes, Mickey Rourke as the tattoo/previous knife-throwing sidekick and Randy Couter as the "who the hell is this guy, oh he's a UFC fighter" guy.

I still can't believe the unbelievable shape these guys are in! They're giants (exception for Jet-li of course).

Still, despite it's 80's throw-back appeal - the film isn't all action. Believe it or not there are slow parts. Mostly unnecessary filler between the action scenes. However the third act of the film makes up for the lack of action and then some!

It's when this third act commences when the true action film we've been waiting to see kicks in and steps up several notches to become the manliest most testosterone-fueled film since the last 'Rambo'!

It's funny, it's loud, it's un-relentlessly violent, an action-packed no-brainer of a film! An 80's action movie fan's wet-dream!!!

Bring on the sequel/s and bring on Jean-Claude Van Damme so he can give Statham the butt-kicking he so desperately deserves!!!

Sex and the city,.... for men!

[iemand-anders1 · 16 August 2010]

I laugh at many of the hate comments as what the hell did they expect? a romantic comedy? award winning performances? deep dialogues? Freudian complex character study?

common give me a break!!! from the start you should know this is all about guns,explosives and one liners from start to finish and homage to silly 80's and 90's action flicks. and this is simply exactly what you get!!

while i will never understand what most woman think so great about sex and the city( fashion? shoes? what the hell?)

so this is for men/boys who will be thrilled to see their old heroes from back in the days once more on screen kicking everybody's ass! (and no, i can appreciate intellectual and deep movies, but it often simply comes down with having the right expectations)

Watchable, more because of the action stars united in a single movie then anything else

[Lady_Targaryen · 6/10 · 7 October 2010]

A team of elite mercenaries, the Expendables, leaded by Barney Ross head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator of a small South American island. Barney and Lee, a knife enthusiast, meet the rebel Sandra and discover what is really happening behind the conflict in the city. Sandra is revealed to be the dictator's daughter, and during an ambush, they need to scape and let Sandra behind. But Ross cannot let Sandra there, and to make peace with his conscience, he and his team decide to go back to the Island.

'The Expendables' is not a great masterpiece of the action movies but is not a terrible movie either; to be honest, as many users here already wrote, the movie is very ' so so'. I could say the movie is 'satisfying', if I need to use a word. Being honest, I was hoping for more, specially because all of the propaganda saying it would be the 'Greatest Action Film Ever', and also with the reunion of great names like Bruce Wilis,Schwarzenegger, Jet Li,Dolph Lundgren,etc. One of the most disappointing things in my opinion, was the fact that Arnold and Bruce were on the screen only to do a cameo appearance. A very funny cameo appearance, but still a cameo appearance. I thought Arnold and Bruce would be kicking asses with everybody, but in fact the movie centers around Stallone, Lundgren, and Statham's characters practically.

There are some cool explosions and some nice fighting scenes, for sure, but the plot is weak and cliché, and no matter how many bombs they can explode, an ordinary plot doesn't make a movie something incredible.

To make a small summary of what I am talking about: The movie is worthwhile because of the reunion of great legends of the action movies, but are better action films out there for sure. I would say for people to watch this movie, but with few expectations.

Predictable.

[Big_River · 6/10 · 7 September 2012]

A typical action movie that checks all of the action movie boxes. Lots of explosions, shootings, killings and unrealistic fight scenes.

It's great to see all of the dinosaurs from the 80's team up with each other. Stallone looked convincing as the main guy but it's the youth of Jason Statham that delivers the adrenalin in this movie. I would've liked to have seen more from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. Their roles were far too short for the amount of action experience they have. Steve Austin is the only person that was miscast. Personally, I think that this movie would have been better without him.

I got what I expected and if you like action movies...you will definitely like "The Expendables".

It does what it set out to do...It entertains

[jwtrox08706 · 7/10 · 22 August 2010]

Going into this film, I had some rather low expectations, but was hoping to see just a violent shoot-'em-up with an all-star action film cast. I was actually pleasantly surprised as to how entertaining this film is.

First of all, the cast is great, even though as a rule I tend to stray away from casts that feature a lot of big names. The film was well cast, and acted pretty well, too. The only problem is, I think there was just not enough room for all of these names to have their time on screen. However, they all work well together; so, it sort of balances out.

Second, it certainly is not without action. There is plenty of violence and dismemberment to wet the beaks of the most action-hungry movie goers, but it is not totally over the top. It definitely is a film that, if they were still reviewing films together, Siskel and Ebert would criticize for being too noisy, but if you go into a film like this without even the slightest expectations that you are going to be bombarded with in your face noise and action, then you have some serious problems. The film also sort of brings up some current or recent affairs (Somali pirates was the one that stood out the most for me), and takes the "let's kick some ass" route with them, but at the same time it still has a moral code to it as well.

Finally, I just like going into a film like this one, considering the times we are in with all the gray matter and things not being cut and dry, and having all of that just pushed to the side: you have your good guys and you have your bad guys. Yes, this film has a touch of its own gray matter, but it's not overwhelming. The timing of this film's release has made this point a positive one, instead of a negative one.

A film as fun as this one was is not without its flaws.

First of all, the writing just left a lot to be desired, but the action and comedy in it more than made up for that. That being said, do not be surprised if you find yourself wincing now and then at some very cheesy lines.

Second, as I mentioned, this film is very crowded with big stars. In many cases, you like the idea of all of these big names in one film, but how can you have room for all of them?

Third, there was too much CG blood and violence. Computer effects are great, but it was utilized way too much, as if it was a crutch—especially for violence. To boot, you can clearly tell that it's CG as well. If there had been more makeup effects and down and dirty special effects used like in the old days for things like decapitations or someone catching fire, I would have been much more impressed. As it is, though, the CG effects in this film are kind of cheesy and can easily be spotted. A good CG effect is one that you at least have to do a double take to see that it is in fact a CG effect or, best case scenario, have to find out later on that it is a CG effect (case and point, the digital removal of Ralph Fiennes nose when he played Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter films looks very much like a well-done make-up effect but is in fact a CG effect).

All in all, this film is good for when you just need a movie to entertain you. It's a great way for even one of the most critical moviegoers, like myself, to just sit back and enjoy a film for what it is as opposed to trying to find a deeper meaning. It's a guilty pleasure, and it is well- done in that respect. I applaud Sly for making this very entertaining film. But, just as a precaution, I wouldn't recommend this as a date movie, unless she's really into some good solid hardcore action films.

I wish the all action film makers can all go back to the glorious 80's!

[master-yoda99 · 6/10 · 12 August 2010]

I am always more than happy to see Stallone coming out and do movies like this, Rambo 4, and the expendables are the reason why actions films are worth watching. Pure action, fun and entertainment, in my opinion far better than those modern day sissy films with pretentiously complex plot and so-called "in-depth" storyline.

The Expendables has star cast characters, mainly action film stars who by modern day standards are "wash-outs". I love that Stallone is bringing together these actors to show people what true action movie is supposed to be like!

Screw the so called "movie critics", they are just a bunch of pretentious fakes who won't criticize the pointless violence in "no country for old man", calling that "artistic" and "in-depth", but willing to spat on "heoric violence" in films such as the expendables, which in my opinion, has far more value than those so called "artistic violence".

Nuff said, Stallone rocks! I hope he will make more films in many years to come!

They don't get much more explosive than this!

[yellowbuket101 · 8/10 · 4 August 2010]

The expectation for this film is obviously very high with one of the best action hero line ups (if not the best) in cinematic history. So I went into this film with a little trepidation and a lot of anticipation. I can honestly say that I was not disappointed. This was a high octane, unbelievably explosive, funny, blood thirsty, proper action movie! This film would not have been out of place in the 80s, but manages to fit into the market of today's cinematic action experience. It is easily much more graphic and gory than most modern day action films, but this adds to the film and creates a degree of realism. Let's face it; if you go around killing people it isn't going to be pretty! This film did what it needed to do, it wasn't afraid to contain blood, guts and violence for the sake of an age restriction but also wasn't overly ridiculous. After all most of the people who will watch this film grew up watching the classic action films of the 80s and 90s and are old enough for a bit of gore.

The plot is not that original, but it doesn't need to be, nor was it expected to be. The cast, goes without saying, was fantastic. What could have been a disaster of conflicting egos ended up being a believable team of mercenaries where banter is rife and keeping each other alive is their number one priority. Stallone can give himself a big pat on the back for getting so many iconic actors onto the screen together and actually making it work. Though the much hyped cameo of two particular people was short lived, it was hilarious and I think a great moment in cinema.

This was a great film that keeps you glued to your seat, constantly makes you gasp and laugh out loud and leaves you pumping with adrenaline. It was ridiculous and wonderful all at the same time, with more bullets and bombs than Rambo and more fighting than Rocky. This is a must see film for any movie buff or action hero wannabe. It is certainly not for the faint hearted, or for kids, but for any true action movie lover this is the ultimate manly film.

Sylvester Stallone, NICE JOB!

Big and dumb, but it delivers exactly what it promises

[zetes · 7/10 · 22 August 2010]

Sylvester Stallone enjoys his old age Renaissance with this amusing throwback to the cheesy action movies of the 1980s and 90s. It's dumb as Hell, and very poorly directed (by Stallone himself), but it does pretty much deliver. Stallone and Jason Statham lead a team of mercenaries, which also includes Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Terry Crews and some other tough guys. They're hired by Bruce Willis (who appears in one scene alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger) to infiltrate an island nation and assassinate the bloody general who has taken it over (David Zayas, who co-stars in the show Dexter). Stallone discovers that the general is really unimportant, and that the real villain running things is Eric Roberts, with former professional wrestler Steve Austin his second in command. Stallone doesn't really want to get involved in this crazy business, but is ultimately inspired to go through with it because of a rebel woman he meets there (Giselle Itié). The plot doesn't make a lot of sense, but there's a lot of explosions and beatdowns. It delivers what it promises, even if I did forget that I even saw it by the next day. Mickey Rourke has a nice small part as a former member of the Expendables, and Charisma Carpenter (of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel fame) has a nice part as a chick who dumps Statham.

Bad, and not bad in a good way, just bad.

[andrew-don · 2/10 · 15 August 2010]

Straight up, I am the biggest fan of the 80s action films ever. I loved Commando, Predator, Rambo, Rocky, Die Hard, Kickboxer etc etc etc.

What have they done? This film had all the potential to be huge, but they killed it with terrible writing. I can handle plot holes, in fact a movie like this almost needs them. But there is no excuse for such poor dialogue. Where are the cool lines? I expected to come out quoting a whole heap of new one liners, instead we get stupid jokes about 'wanting to be president'. The scene with Bruce Willis, Sly and Arnie should have been awesome, instead it felt like there was some in-joke between them that we didn't know about. It was like being at a party listening to 3 people you don't know talking about something you don't understand! Dolph Lundgren was the best part of the film, and they didn't give him enough to do. Why is this man not starring in A grade blockbusters? The big rapid fire shotgun offered some humorous moments, though I don't know if this was deliberate or not. Considering this was supposed to be about the action, it was very poorly shot. Ever since Gladiator it seems directors are intent on making us feel part of the fight. Screw that, I don't want to be in it, I want to see what's happening. Why bother having Jet Li, Randy Cotour and Stone Cold in a film if all you can see of them is arms and legs flailing at close range? Watch any old Jackie Chan flick, or even the old Stallone and Schwarzeneggar movies, the action shots are wide enough that you can actually see what they are doing.

Very disappointing

"Expendables" Reminds Us Why We Will Watch Sylvester Stallone

[D_Burke · 8/10 · 9 August 2010]

"The Expendables" is without question the most anticipated movie of the summer of 2010. Its cast is a who's who of established action film stars of the previous three decades. Even though the previews gave away the cameo by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, it still gave us just another reason to stand in line for this movie.

And who else leads the impressive roster of stars but the American dream himself, Sylvester Stallone, who also co-wrote and directed this movie himself. Stallone is one of those rare movie stars who, even in that period of time (circa 1998-2005) when he wasn't making many films, you never heard him referred to as a B-lister or a has-been. It could be because he has arguably had more career comebacks than any actor in history.

Don't call "The Expendables" a comeback, though. If anything, it's a further reminder that Stallone can still make engrossing films that defy target audience groups. Oh yeah, and he looks better than any 64-year-old I know of.

Although Stallone wears three heavy hats in this movie, he doesn't carry the weight of the movie on his own shoulders. You've already read the names of the action stars who support him here. Although the youngest of the Expendables (Jason Statham) is 37, they are far from a rag-tag crew. This movie shows that they can still kick more ass than "Kick- Ass" (2010).

The Expendables describes a team of what could be considered mercenaries, or bounty hunters. They go on high-risk missions, guns in hand, and pick up the money owed to them at the end of the day. Their main mission in this movie is initially to overthrow a South American dictator in the fictional nation of Vilena. Eventually, they find that the real enemy is ex-CIA agent James Munroe (Eric Roberts) aided by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and a whole army of guerrilla soldiers.

This movie is full of action sequences, all of which are fun to watch. There are also some scenes involving knives (particularly ones thrown by Jason Statham) that even made me flinch. Although there are plenty of scenes involving knives and big guns, there are some great sequences involving hand-to-hand combat. You definitely don't want to take a bathroom break when 5'6 Jet Li takes on 6'4 Dolph Lundgren. There's also a fight scene between Steve Austin and Randy Couture that will satisfy both UFC and WWE fans.

These scenes were not without their confusion, though, especially those shot using what appeared to be a hand-held camera. There were a lot of close-up shots during these intense parts that didn't seem necessary, and the way the camera shook and almost too quickly cut to another scene was confusing. Ang Lee used similar camera tricks in his version of "Hulk", and they bewildered more than entranced.

A thinking man's movie it is not, that's for sure, but it is still a fun movie that needs to be seen on the big screen. Plus, with all the testosterone in it, it may have been difficult for a woman to stand out. Although she didn't have any weapons or fighting power, Giselle Itie was hardly a damsel in distress. In fact, one scene I won't give away has her making a decision that few, men or woman, would have made amidst all the explosions and gunfire. You'll know it when you see it.

"The Expendables" will not disappoint action fans. It also is not short of quotable lines, especially in Gov. Schwarzenegger's cameo. Expendable, by definition, means considered to be not worth keeping or maintaining, but the careers of everyone involved in this film remain quite the opposite.

Explosive carnage fest!

[rivertam26 · 7/10 · 18 August 2012]

Being a child of the 80's and early 90's I was a big fan of the kind of action film this movie is throwing itself back to. You know the ones with giant action stars that we had posters and action figures of. The kind of films with senseless violence where everyone in the background of all the action scenes got killed. Te ones with nifty one liners where you never took the plot too seriously but relished the kill scenes because they were amazingly over the top. Like body slams with bone breaking and decapitations. Now looking back on it they were pretty much like slasher flicks but on different level of course. I'm a huge fan of the films that came out in my youth and they made me into the fan I am today. Of course my tastes have progressed but I still love a balls out carnage fest and thats exactly what the expendables. forget the plot, the acting or even the surprisingly funny screenplay. Stallone, Statham, Li, Lundgren, Willis, Schwarzenegger, some wrestlers and hell even Crews. The Expendables is a gory, 100% American action fest. When the film stops to build any type of type of actual story it begins to stall a little but it's a good thing there is some much action and explosiveness at that. Decapitations, knife fights, giant guns, missiles, diving from fire, planes and building blowing, two giant guys demolishing each other, martial arts, one liners and if thats not enough Eric Roberts as a slimy villain it's all good fun and done with a winking eye. It's a hell of ride with more substance than you'd expect and surprising amount of good chemistry between its stars. Good stuff!

Ok. Overrated Action Movie

[pawanpunjabithewriter · 4/10 · 22 September 2020]

I had expectations from this movie, and it didn't deliver a penny. So much action, so much explosion, sometimes good, sometimes unnecessary, but do we need only that in a Movie? What about the story? The story is highly predictable with not much to offer. It's just the action scenes that keep you in awe, but wait, that's not enough right? I don't understand why is it unnecessarily made so dark, gloomy and depressing in the middle? The emotions during the halfway point has no meaning. I do not recommend this movie. Plus it's highly overrated. Trailer was better, movie was worse.

Too much testosterone!

[TheCinemassacre · 13 August 2010]

Tough guys. Always going on suicidal missions. Threatened by bullets and blades. Running from explosions. Best friends waging wars. Nearly killing each other, then going to the bar later to laugh about it. Director and star, Sylvester Stallone, gets all his best men together to kick as much ass as humanly possible, allowing himself a severe beating from Steve Austin. Sly took a serious neck injury. Then he goes in front of a Comic Con audience and jokes about it. A man whose Double-"R" franchises, Rocky and Rambo have both been highly successful. But he keeps coming back for more pain and putting his body on the line for the sake of entertainment. There's nothing tougher than that!

The Expendables is a movie that lifts you up out of your seat, pats you on the head, gives you a lollipop then smashes you in the frickin' face! With a cast like Jason Stathum, Randy Couture, Jet Li, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews, Dolph "I Must Break You" Lundgren, and cameos from Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, you'd think it would be one crazy mess. Surprisingly, it's more focused then you may think. Just a straight-forward action movie with a reasonable run time that sustains itself and never has a chance to feel dull. It doesn't try to be anything more than what it is.

The only negative: Some of the blood and explosions looked digital. Wish it could have been just a bit more authentic. Sometimes, there was a tad too many closeups during the fight scenes. With so many people fighting at the same time, sometimes I couldn't tell who was punching who. It didn't happen very often, but how cool would it be just for one moment to see three simultaneous fights from a super wide master shot? Never, but I can't blame them. At least let the cameras pull back and allow the choreography to do the work.

It feels nice to get my ass kicked by something I haven't seen yet. It's not Rambo. It's not Rocky. Nor is it another Die Hard or Terminator sequel. It's something fresh, yet feels like it came out of the 80's. It has the perfect blend of humor, blood, sweat, smart-ass comebacks, witty one-liners, and an overabundance of testosterone! Don't expect anything more than action, exposition, action, exposition, all with a nice cherry on top… with sprinkles… and grenades. And some real tough guys. We all wish we could be tough guys. But no, let's just watch'em instead.

Rambo, you not expendable

[CuriosityKilledShawn · 7/10 · 22 August 2010]

"It means that if you're invited to a party, and you don't show up...it doesn't matter."

For Stallone's eight (official) film as director he has signed up most of the biggest names in old school action. But as much as I like to believe he did this as a love letter to the (superior) R-rated action flicks of old, I can't help but think he did it mainly to cover his ass by appealing to a broader range of people and widen the target audience. I like Steve Austin and Randy Couture, but do they really belong in a film with the likes of Dolph, Arnie and Bruce?

Story-wise, it's sort of a cross between The Dirty (half) Dozen and Delta Force 2. Which is weird since although the aforementioned Chuck Norris movie is several rungs down the ladder from The Expendables, it had a better plot and more coherent politics.

Stallone's script (a writer called Dave Callam is also credited, but since Sly took the story far away from his original draft it's basically a courtesy credit) is his most superficial to date. Barely anything is explained in any detail beyond "shoot the ethnics". That's all you need to know, and certainly all you get. The bad guys are drug dealers, and all of the footsoldiers are willing to die for their paycheck. Since the US government won't officially intervene they sent "The Expendables" to do the job for them. Only I never really felt like they WERE expendable. There's no exploration of their own finite existence or their acceptance of inevitable death.

For a film with six main characters a 103-minute running time is a joke. I am seriously hoping that there will be an extended blu ray since there's hardly any time to build character. You'll remember none of their names, the whole cast can just be referred to by the actor names and their reputation as action types. The only character out of all of them who has an arc is Dolph's Gunner Jensen. An arc for Stallone, Statham or Li? Forget it.

The action is good, and gory and not afraid to be a hardcore R. But the Expendables are not exempt from the modern style of action editing and bombarding us with dozens of quick-fire shots per second. It's disorientating and annoying, and for a film that proclaimed to be a throwback to the good old days (when action was clear and visible) this was a bad editing choice.

Stallone has the skill and intelligence to make good movies, but he aimed just a little too low when making the Expendables. I still have faith that he can deliver a superior sequel and I urge you to see this over any other junk out at the movies right now. Support the R-rated action movie, damn the PG-13 wannabes.

Fun action movie

[masonsaul · 6/10 · 20 November 2019]

The Expendables definitely doesn't live up to the possibility of reuniting the greatest action stars of a generation in a single movie, mainly because it divides the screen time in bafflingly misjudged fashion; however, it's a ridiculously enjoyable action movie that brings the carnage.

Overall, this cast is surprisingly lacking in star power. Stallone, Statham, Li and Lundgren are undeniable movie stars but the people they share the screen with do not match them and are not given the screen time to earn it. The most frustrating aspect is Willis and Schwarzenegger being relegated to a cameo.

That being said, the majority of the film is actually a two-hander between Stallone and Statham (probably should've been more of an ensemble) and they are more than capable of commanding the screen together with their endearing charisma and an enjoyable rapport.

The villains are a big disappointment here. David Zayas as a generic dictator is just straight up boring and whilst Eric Roberts' corrupt former CIA agent does fare a lot better, he's still not as fun or entertaining as a film like this deserves.

Behind the camera Sylvester Stallone returns to the intense handheld camera work of Rambo to mixed results. Some of the action gets lost in the mix but it's still capable of delivering the hysterically violent delights. He also keeps it practical for the most part and only uses CG for smaller things (blood spurts and fire) but it still distracts.

Brian Tyler confirms he's one of the best in the business for crafting generic action movie scores with this one. There's nothing particularly memorable here but it's suspenseful and heroic stuff that's even better when combined with this explosive action packed third act.

Best Action Movie of 2010 So Far!

[mysticmstudio · 7/10 · 14 August 2010]

Thies movie brings back nostalgia of the 80's run and gun action movie, and here, its a GOOD thing! All the acting is great, and all the characters are fun and interesting. I was smiling the whole movie, the dialog is fantastic. It's like Die Hard was mixed with pulp fiction, and had a baby with Kill Bill; Its very good and fluent, almost like its all just improv, or like its real mercenaries talking. I wont give away the plot, but the action and dialog really keep it going.

The cast is the best too. All characters are perfect, they all compliment each other in the best way. Jet Li, Jason Statham, and Stallone are the perfect three heroes for any movie. By the final act, the main characters are pretty well developed, with plenty of back story for them. The action choreography is some of the best I've seen in a while, all the action sequences are very fun to see and are thrilling. The movie keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering what would happen next.

Closing Comments: Its a very good movie, the perfect action film. The sound, acting, dialog, and action come together to make the best action film of 2010 so far. GO SEE IT NOW!!!

Stallone's nostalgic touch makes for a fairly well done action picture

[DonFishies · 7/10 · 12 August 2010]

After undoubtedly helping kick-start the current fascination with bringing the 1980s back to the big screen, Sylvester Stallone has fairly successfully continued the trend with The Expendables. The film, an obvious action movie throwback, follows a group of mercenaries hired to take down a dictator in South America. But, as any action movie fan should know, there is a bit more to their plight than what the group initially expected.

Seeing both The Losers and The A-Team, I was a little apprehensive about what to expect from The Expendables. On one hand, it was a similar film about a rather eclectic group of guys killing everything that stands in their way (albeit, with an added R-rating). But on the other, it was the only one that was merely inspired by other works, instead of outright based on something that had come before it. As well, there is thankfully no revenge subplot to speak of, something the former films followed each other a bit too closely on. With those ideas in mind, it is a bit hard seeing The Expendables as its own distinctive film on the outset. Each film has its own set of balls-to-the-wall action sequences, wise-ass one-liners and quips, and gigantic explosions.

But what sets The Expendables apart, and what is likely its biggest selling point, is the nostalgia factor. Sure, The A-Team was about a group from a beloved TV series. But a few of its original stars merely had cameos in the film. In The Expendables, it is a wild mix of who's who of action stars. 80s stars like Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts and Mickey Rourke are mixing it up with current action stars like Jason Statham and Jet Li, not to mention "athletes" like Randy Couture and Steve Austin. And for added measure, two huge action stars from the decade show up in what may be the greatest cameo appearances ever conceived. It is just a shame that the trailers and press coverage ruined what is essentially, the best scene in the entire film (to think it could have been as well hidden as the zany cameo in last year's Zombieland). This cast alone is reason enough to check the film out for the sheer enjoyment of seeing them all mixing it up on-screen.

But sadly, no one outside of Stallone and Statham really gets a chance to really make something of their characters, outside of the one-dimensional archetypes that set their characters up. Li gets at least two great fighting scenes, but is otherwise to crack a few jokes and be made fun of for his Asian heritage. Roberts makes for a great villain, but gets not nearly enough time to truly feel dastardly. Lundgren gets a real dramatic sequence that could have truly made something of his character, but the performance is almost entirely relegated to happening off-screen. Rourke merely has an extended cameo, and looks like he shot all of his scenes in less than a week after wandering off the set of Iron Man 2, makeup and all. You have to expect that not everyone will get a chance to really do a lot with such a big cast list, but it felt like a bit of a copout having so many recognizable people cast in the film, only to do much too little with any of them.

If there is any benefit in having such a huge cast, it is in Stallone's performance. His character is for all intents and purposes, an offshoot of John Rambo. The film plays much closer to his last outing as that legendary character than it does the other mercenary-based films from this year. But instead of being the timid introvert confusing audiences with his "depth", he is actually quite great in the leader role here. He plays off everyone well, and the added interactions allow for him to pull off a much more enjoyable performance as a result. Statham on the other hand, is the clear standout of the film, alternating between the comic relief and the genuine bad-ass of the whole film. He steers his role well (even with the needless subplot involving an ex-girlfriend played by Charisma Carpenter), and holds his own against everyone, including Stallone. He has a lot of fun in his role, and he is obviously the best thing about the film.

What I really disliked was the rather horrendous looking special effects used for anything outside of stunts and fighting sequences (all of which are rather vicious, but fairly epic to watch given the fighters). The majority of explosions look horribly CG'ed, and any scene with an extended shot of fire looks like it was painted in as an afterthought. With much of the final battle taking place in and around fires and explosions, you can immediately tell how irritating this quickly became. Much the same goes for the blood, which looks like was all added in after the fact. There is nowhere near the same amount of bloodshed as in Rambo, and even less gritty realism. It just looks all too sloppy on Stallone's part, and seems rather careless. This could easily be chocked up to Stallone making the film seem closer to its 80s brethren than it should, but is still a pretty weak excuse for something that easily could have looked a lot better.

The Expendables is an exciting and explosion filled action romp, but it makes clumsy mistakes that easily could have been fixed during production or even afterwards. This is a hard hitting film that hits so many marks, but falls short of a few too. It is Stallone's best work in the past few years, but it also proves that he is much stronger when acting as part of a heavily emphasized ensemble, as opposed to primarily on his own. Here's hoping we are done with mercenaries for a while.

7/10.

(This review also appeared on http://www.geekspeakmagazine.com).

Stallone does it again!

[cybopath · 10/10 · 15 August 2010]

After nearly a decade of disappointments Stallone shocked the movie world by making a 6th emotionally charged Rocky, he then went on to please fans by taking Rambo into a visceral brutally realistic war movie, now for his hat trick Stallone gave us something old and something new 'The Expendables' the type of movie kids dreamed about the early 90's, what if this guy & that guy and him where all in a film together. A little too late? Hell no! Never has this film been more needed. In a land of watered down PG-13 wire work action movies real action fans where desperate for some real old school action. (Cobra, Commando, Delta Force, Last Boy Scout..) The great thing about this film is even if it didn't have the cast it still would be a great action movie, the fact it has such a jaw dropping cast just makes it all the better. Stallone is growing as an action director, he brought some of his tense brutal techniques from Rambo but was smart enough to go a little old school for other scenes. Their are some very kinetic action sequences but not Parkinson's suffering cameraman techniques like the Bourn films.

The main focus of the team are Stallone & Statham, they really have a good Old Dog, New Dog friendship. Lundgren (My favourite character) gets a an interesting sub plot. Unfortunately Li, Couture & Crews get pushed to the background but they do get some great scenes to shine. (Hopefully they can get some more development in the sequel.

Roberts and his Henchman Stone Cold Steve Austin shine as the brutal villains. Gary Danials however was really underused I was expecting some Bennet style lines. At least he got one of the best fights of the movies.

Of coarse the scene everyone was talking about was the Stallone, Schwarzenegger & Willis scene. Which was one of the funniest parts of the movie. Their attempt to put each other down while out manning each other worked brilliantly and Willis threatening Stallone alone is worth the ticket price.

A slight nag about the film is at the very end some CGI did crop up, in the form of fire. After all the practical stunts throughout the movie including one great Truck chase I was a little disappointed not to see a stuntman in a fire suit.

If this had just been Stallone's baby with a few unknown actors I'd give this film 8/10 BUT the fact we get to see Stallone, Statham, Li, Lundgren, Couture, Crews, Roberts, Rourke, Danials with Willis & Schwarzenegger punch, kick, stab, mouth off and blow up each other cranks it up to a 9.5/10 for me.

Bring on Expendables II

Provides just about everything that you could want out of a movie like this

[Apemangalore · 7/10 · 13 August 2010]

For anyone growing up during the '80's and early '90's, the notion of having a film including all of Hollywood's most legendary action heroes seemed like little more than a pipe dream. So, when I initially heard that Sylvester Stallone was going to be putting together a movie titled The Expendables for just that purpose, I literally freaked out. But does this supposed "culmination of wishes" deliver the goods? Absolutely.

One thing that I was worried about going into Expendables was that, despite how exciting the idea of having all of these guys together sounded on paper, the filmmakers wouldn't be able to give each of them the amount of screen time that they deserved. Personally, very seldom did I find this to actually be the case. Perhaps one or two members of the crew could've received a bit more time in the limelight, but on the whole, I thought that they balanced the focus considerably well, without making the whole venture feel like a cluttered mess.

Say what you will about Stallone as a director, but the man knows how to handle action. Not only do these heroes of yesteryear provide the film with such a tremendous sense of nostalgia, but the action sequences, as well as the way in which they're shot, harken back to their time as well, before - and I know that I'm about to sound like a curmudgeon here - action scenes were plagued by the infamous shaky-cam. I won't go into describing how any of these sequences play out, but suffice it to say, it's some delightfully brutal stuff.

Now, as far as the plot is concerned, what you read in the synopsis is… Well, that's pretty much it. Sure, there are a few twists and turns along the way, but if you've watched any action hero classic, you'll see them coming from about a mile away. On top of that, I found the main villain to be pretty silly, and a good portion of the dialogue is just hysterically awful. But, admittedly, that's kind of the fun of the whole experience, as I simply looked at it as a cartoon. A very gory, decapitation-heavy cartoon, but nonetheless!

Overall, I got just about everything that I could want out of a movie like The Expendables: sheer badassery. Sure, the plot is paper thin, and the scene involving a couple of cameo appearances felt just a little anticlimactic, but as far as mindless action films go, this one's tough to beat, at least compared to what else we've been given this summer.

The title says it all

[npg-4 · 1/10 · 19 August 2010]

Bunch of sweaty blokes try to out-macho each other. The heroine is tortured, then dragged through bullets, raging fires and explosions as the whole set is blown up, yet emerges unscathed with perfect hairdo. Pointless appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Missed all opportunities for some decent jokes, and had to repeat an average one just in case we missed it. Unlikeable one-dimensional characters, predictable plot, no twists and not an ounce of suspense. I found nothing to like about this film, and would have walked out if I had woken up. Expendable plot, expendable dialogue, expendable characters ... I could go on interminably, like the film does.

People get shot with bullets, from guns, and die as a result.

[matt-soulliere · 8/10 · 28 July 2010]

If you aren't sure what to expect going into this think Rambo, only there are five Rambos instead of just one, and two of them know karate.

If you do have high expectations going in (as I did), you will start to wonder if perhaps this movie isn't going to be what you were expecting as you watch it. The first hour gives you the two 'big' cameos, which weren't worth the hype (or any hype for that matter), and an out of place Mickey Rourke emotional moment but not much else.

The real payoff comes in the last half hour or so of the movie which is a beautiful symphony of mindless violence, and more than makes up for the beginning.

Overall the movie seemed a little rushed as far as the story goes and I won't be surprised to see a extended cut when this comes out on DVD but it is a solid action movie and worth the watch. And hats off to Randy Couture who actually steals the movie a little bit during the big action scene at the end.

Could have been great, but....

[supernma · 6/10 · 14 August 2010]

I had some major problems with the film. I understand it was supposed to be a loud, fun, kick'em-in-the-"rear"-n'-blow'em-up good 'ole time, but it was lacking two key elements: a decent script, and some kind of coherent camera-work/editing.

The story was uninteresting. The plot was sort of just strung together from one action scene to the next with interludes of "check-your-watch" macho dialogue nonsense. The jokes and one-liners mostly fell flat (for me, anyway); this was one of the most disappointing factors. If the zings and jabs had been pulled off properly, the film's overall quality would have spiked, but instead it just felt stale and lazy. Ultimately, I didn't care about Stallone or any of the other Expendables; I didn't care about the girl, or the general (and their barely existing subplot), or who was "effing" over who. So, despite all of the explosions and blood, I felt bored (especially in the agonizingly bland first Act, although it picked up in the middle and through the climax).

Shaky, poorly-lit frame + quick-cut editing = disorientation. This style of filmmaking needs to die. It's like the camera operator was just throwing the camera up and down all over the place and then the editor went at it like a 5-year-old trying to cut out a snowflake. It got to the point where I just didn't care what was happening on screen. If this style and 3D are the future of action cinema, then I might as well tear-up my Regal Crown Club membership card now.

In short: the film had two fatal flaws, but would have been very good if not for those major misteps. The best thing I can say about the film is that it was amazing to see all of those 80's action legends on screen at the same time (and to see Stallone and Lundgren at each other's throats again; it made me want to watch Rocky IV).

Just Garbage

[tw12345 · 1/10 · 20 August 2010]

Really. Like many other reviewers, I had high hopes for this movie. I thought it would be in the tradition of Space Cowboys, the old pros come back for one more shot at the bad guys. But it quickly just degraded into typical shoot-em-up crap. Spoiler: The scene with Schwarzenegger is a complete rip-off - about a minute long, no action, has nothing to do with the rest of the movie.

About 65% of the movie is people fighting or shooting at each other or blowing things up, and it really did just get boring. The execution wasn't even that good - fight scenes had obviously sped-up footage that looked like those old dinosaur movies, sound effects were bad (every punch had the same fake thud), and the characters looked like they were in pain - not from the bullets which never touched them, but from the awful plot. Poor Jet Li complained the whole way through that he wasn't getting enough money - he was practically begging to be let out of his contract go so he could go work on something better - even a commercial.

Mickey Rourke was good but didn't have much of a part, or any purpose for being there. Also that 250-round per minute shotgun thing, going boom-boom-boom, was funny every time. But not worth the 9 bucks and two hours of sitting through another ridiculous re-hashing of the rogue-CIA-guy and "small band of mercenaries invades and overruns tiny central American dictatorship" story.

I was expecting a good poignant aging-action-hero movie, or maybe a comedy, but this was just laughably bad. It's baffling how this could be the number 1 movie, unless a lot of people were sucked in by the hype, like I was. Also the 7-point-something rating on IMDb has got to be inflated - rottentomatoes gives it a 42% which is more like it.

When I heard that Seagal and Van Damme turned down roles in this film, I thought it was because they were too full of themselves. But now I realize it's because they knew it was crap.

I enjoyed this movie

[0U · 23 February 2020]

A novelty film, the novelty being seeing all of these great action stars together in one big action film. Unfortunately, most of them are past their prime, and it's hard to share the spotlight. The action is great, but it just isn't enough to carry the film this time. The characters and plot just aren't developed enough.

Boom and bust, Stallone style

[Leofwine_draca · 7/10 · 5 February 2011]

I grew up on '80s action movies, still love them to bits and love watching ass-kicking on film. When I heard Stallone was making this film, featuring an ensemble cast of ageing action stars and deliberately harking back to '80s cinema, I was excited. I consider the 2008 RAMBO to be his best movie as star and director and I was hoping this would be somewhere nearly as good. It isn't, but it's still a fun movie. First off, the problems. The plot is all over the place. Long scenes are wasted introducing Jason Statham's ex-girlfriend character and then nothing happens with her – she just disappears and you don't see her again. The story, about overthrowing the dictator of a small island in South America and tackling his nefarious businessman colleague, feels like a half-baked reprise of COMMANDO. But let's be fair here – nobody goes to see THE EXPENDABLES for the plot.

No, my biggest problem is with Stallone's direction, which previously has been fine. Here, he decides to adopt a shaky-cam style for every action scene in the film, be it the explosive climax, a car chase or even a martial arts bout with star Jet Li. Paul Greengrass added heaps to his Bourne movies by utilising the shaky-cam, but it's a big detraction (not to mention distraction) here. Stallone's camera seems to be all over the place, to the extent that you can barely make out what's going on in any of the fight scenes. Moments like the 'tunnel fight', which variously sees Statham, Li, Stallone, Gary Daniels, and Steve Austin engaged in all manner of frenetic physical combat – become just okay. Maybe I was just sitting too near to the front of the cinema, but I fear not.

Otherwise, this film works just fine. The script adopts the right tone with plenty of referential humour for the fans. Stallone is still at his physical peak, and Statham the usual smooth-shaven action man we're used to from TRANSPORTER and CRANK. Dolph Lundgren has a ball as a slightly deranged fighter and Jet Li is the brunt of many jokes as the token Asian. I'm not a big fan of wrestlers or sportsmen, but Randy Couture, Steve Austin and Terry Crews are all sufficiently hulking to add to the film's look, and Eric Roberts entertains as the deliciously sleazy bad guy. Mickey Rourke's in this for little more than a cameo, but he has an oddly touching moment, while one of my biggest joys was seeing British fighter Gary Daniels as one of the bad guy henchmen. Looks like he's going up in the world. Much publicity surrounded the five-minute scene in this in which Stallone meets up with the guest stars - it's as funny as you could hope for. As for the action, it's over the top and extremely loud, involving our heroes flying planes and shooting or blowing up the bad guys, taking them down in hand-to-hand fights and smashing up some vehicles in frenetic car chases. The ending is as noisy and destructive as anything I've seen, and the best part of the film. A twenty minute sequence of chaos, calamity and kick-ass moves. My favourite part? Terry Crews and his hang cannon, which makes short work of the enemy.

Addendum: I've recently watched the director's cut of THE EXPENDABLES for the first time and I can report that it makes a BIG difference. Not only is an extra ten minutes of characterisation added - thus giving the film more heart and soul - but the whole thing has been re-edited to lost a lot of the choppiness the film suffered from originally. I have a feeling that Stallone was forced to rush the editing in the run-up to the film's cinema release, so he used the first opportunity he had to come back and tidy it up and the result is this: slicker, better paced, and much smoother. The action scenes have also been tightened up nicely so that they flow much better. The director's cut is definitely the version to watch.