The Expendables

The Expendables 2010
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Writers: Dave Callaham and Sylvester Stallone
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Eric Roberts, Randy Couture, Steve Austin, David Zayas, Terry Crews, Mickey Rourke, Gary Daniels, Giselle Itle, Charisma Carpenter, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis
Films like this are why I do this blog, because they just deliver on every aspect of what a man wants out of a action film, lots of explosions witty one liners and a great charismatic cast. The Expendables is one of this films that really lives up to the hype. The explosions are huge; you cannot get much bigger and over the top than decimating a whole country. This is a film that works on every level; it even has some heart with the scene of Mickey Rourke that reminded me a lot of Robert Shaw’s speech in Jaws. The action is jaw dropping; my favorite scene had to be when Statham goes crazy on the basketball field. Stallone really amps up the action from Rambo, but while that was more visceral this is just plain fun and you can tell they had a hell of a fun time making the film. This is worth the price of admission for just having Stallone and Schwarzenegger in the same scene, if only briefly. This is a film that really delivers and makes me happy to be a action film fan.
The plot basics are this, Barney Ross (Stallone0 leads a group of mercenaries known as the Expendables. Barney is hired by a Mr. Church (Willis) to bring down an island dictator (Zayas) and soon discovers he is fronted by a ex CIA agent (Roberts) who is supplying him with drugs. At first he is hesitant to get involved because it looks to be to big of a quagmire but when the Dictator’s daughter (Itle) is captured and tortured he decides to break in with his team and save her and to topple the government with as much explosives and fire power than he can muster.
This is an awesome action film. The direction by Stallone is perfect, he sets up the action sequences flawlessly and they are quite easy to follow. I especially liked the fight scenes between Lundgren and Li and between Couture and Austin. The character moments in the film were beautifully done too like the melancholy speech by Rourke. The script is tight as well, it is very simple but still seems like a fresh approach to the action genre. It really feels as if this is a lost action film from the 80’s. The cast is superb. Stallone as usual is a great lead and he really carries the film. Statham is a great 2nd lead and him and Stallone really hit their marks well. Roberts as always is a great heavy and plays the role with relish. I loved Rourke in this film and liked him better in this than in Iron Man 2. Austin was also a great heavy and really commanded the screen. Lundgren did some of his best work here and had some great one liners. Li was sparsely used but to great benefit. Crews and Couture were also a great addition to this film and shined whenever they were the focus. The SFX and the action sequences were amazing, though I would have preferred practical blood over CGI blood. The score and the music in the film were also used to the best of its ability. The fist pumping type of music really fits this film well. This was an outstanding action film and one of the best I have seen in a long while.
This one gets 5 out of 5