The Expendables

Welcome to another episode of The "D" List.

Today's review is The Expendables. Directed by Sylvester Stallone. Written by Dave Callaham & Sylvester Stallone. Story by Dave Callaham.

100th review countdown.......#78

MPAA Rating : R for strong action and bloody violence throughout, and for some language.

Cast

Sylvester Stallone - Barney Ross

Jason Statham - Lee Christmas

Jet Li - Ying Yang

Dolph Lundgren - Gunner Jensen

Eric Roberts - James Munroe

Randy Couture - Toll Road

Steve Austin - Paine

David Zayas - General Garza

Giselle Itié - Sandra

Terry Crews     - Hale Caesar

Mickey Rourke - Tool

Arnold Schwarzenegger - Trench (uncredited)

Bruce Willis - Mr. Church (uncredited)


What's up people. After a small hiatus, I have returned to the world of movie reviews and this one kicks off with a bang.....literally.

The Expendables are a group of mercenaries doing jobs all over the world for profit. They're semi led by Barney, I say semi led because when you are dealing with mercenaries there really isn't a true chain of command. There is however, respect between Barney and the rest of the team. After completing a successful rescue mission, Barney is recruited for a rather big job, taking out a high ranking general that controls a large drug trade backed by a former member of the CIA. After some reconnaissance and a rather "small" skirmish with the enemy, Barney decides to pass on the job until he has a crisis of conscience that changes the game for him and his team.

If it sounds I gave away the entire plot then you would be correct. Why would I do that you ask? Well the answer is blatantly obvious.

This film was intended to be seen not for it's intricately written dialogue or razor sharp narrative. You go to see this movie because pardon my language here "S#&T GET'S BLOWN UP!" The other reason is the ensemble cast of action legends from many many moons ago. The roster is as impressive as you can get, highlighted by the big 3. No not LeBron, Bosh and Wade. I'm talking about Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger. The scene between the 3 of them when the job is being proposed is an action geeks dream come true. The rest of the cast is blended nicely. Couture, Crews, Statham and Li all mesh together on screen giving you the impression that they have been working together for decades. The same holds true for the bad guys. Roberts, Zayas and Austin all share the villainy spotlight when it matters most to the story which is incidentally paper thin.

Once again the plot of this film is secondary to what you are really treated to which is an action film that rekindles the days when computers were only used as props in films of this genre as opposed to creating the world of bullets and booms. We as a movie going public have been conditioned to let CGI rule our imaginations. In this case the CGI is just implemented to enhance the amount of blood that splatters. The chases, explosions, gun fights and hand to hand combat is fast, furious and chaotically organized. It was a ton of fun to watch. If you are a fan of over the top action with some impressive "ka-booms" mixed in then you will not be disappointed.

On the 5 star scale. The Expendables gets 3.5 stars with a "Go See It" recommendation.

This was a film that on any other occasion would have me screaming for more plot and character development. However, when you are blatantly homaging the type of films that made these actors superstars to begin with you just sit back and enjoy the ride. My only complaint is that it took this long for these guys to hook up and make a movie together. It would have been sheer magic to see Rambo, The Terminator and John McClane run around kicking ass.

That's all for today. Up next is The Kids Are All Right. A film that threw me for a loop in how the story was told as opposed to how it was advertised. Is that a good or bad thing? I guess you'll have to tune in and see.

Until Next Episode....."I'll Save You A Seat!"

"D"