The Expendables (2010)

Barney (Sylvester Stallone) leads a ragtag band of hired guns charged with overthrowing a South American despot, a job no official military unit is willing to touch. But once on the ground, the team learns there's more to the mission than they were told. Their next move determines whether they survive -- or are, indeed, expendable. Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren and Jet Li round out a stellar cast.

"The Expendables" is a modern-day throwback to the action movies of the 80's and 90's. Action star Sylvester Stallone pulls triple duty as writer, director, and lead star, and does it well. Stallone plays Barney Ross, a hardened war veteran and leader of a group of mercenaries known as The Expendables, consisting of Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), the second in command and knives expert; Yin Yang (Jet Li), a martial arts expert; Toll Road (Randy Couture), the team's hand to hand combatant; Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), the team's weapons and demolitions expert; and Dolph Lundgren, a sniper that often gets in fights with Yin Yang. When a rouge CIA agent (Eric Roberts) and his bodyguard, Paine (Steve Austin), team up with South American dictator Garza (David Zayas), The Expendables go out on a mission to kill them-- in the most brutal and entertaining way possible. All the actors are good here, with Statham being the scene stealer. The script is decent, and while it isn't strong, the jokes are good and the film rarely runs dry. However, it should be noted that Jet Li, while marketed as a main star, takes more of a back seat to Stallone, Statham, and Roberts, and isn't in the movie as much as you think. Steve Austin doesn't really do anything but stand around until the end of the movie, and Gisele Itie's character is so bland that she could have been cut from the entire script without much change. Mickey Rourke pops up in a few scenes as a retired Expendable, and Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger make small cameos in a slightly forced but cool scene, which ends with a great joke at Arnold's expense. In the end, it's a fun flick that is worth the money.

This is one flick that has one target audience and if you are in that audience then you should really enjoy. If you are into non-stop action that never gives you a chance to come up for air then this is the movie for you. This is not a date night movie. This is a flick to watch with your friends, the more people you watch it with, the more fun you will have. Terry Crews' shotgun and Dolph Lundgren's dry sarcastic method acting steal the show. Sly proves he is still Sly at 63 years young. Statham is Statham and if you are a fan of his you will enjoy. Can't say too much about the plot because all I remember is the action that includes some pretty decent fights and some really nice gun play. Recommended for fans of action, and for those who want to have fun while watching a film without having to think too much.


****/*****

4/5 Stars