The Expendables: (August 13th, 2010): R
Distributor: Lionsgate Entertainment
Opening Weekend Box-Office: #1 with $34,825,135
Domestic Box-Office Gross to-date: $34,825,135
Gross Revenue: $38,765,746
Budget: $82 million
Director: Sylvester Stallone
If it wasn’t painfully obvious from Comic-Con appearances, and endless array of trailers, and print advertisements on nearly every billboard and bus stop within eye-range, the marketability for The Expendables laid solely within the action-star power of its cast. Names like Stallone, Willis, Li, and Schwarzenegger were a given, but some of the other casting choices were a little strange and obscure. Jason Statham has made a name for himself with his work in the Transporter franchise, and Dolph Lundgren was huge name in the 80’s and early 90’s, whether he beat the snot out of Stallone as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV or wiped the floor with Jean-Claude Van Dam in Universal Soldier, but to call the last few members of cast “action stars” was a little bit of a stretch. Randy Couture is an icon in the world of mixed-martial arts and Steve Austin is a legend in the WWE, but neither of them are actors; Terry Crews used to play in the NFL, but his film career has largely been confined to the comedy genre (White Chicks, The Longest Yard, and Get Smart being some of his best), and Mickey Rourke only recently broke into the action genre with his work in The Wrestler and Iron Man 2. Though some might think that Stallone missed a few casting opportunities, he worked very hard to put together an all-star cast; though they declined or were unavailable, apparently Stallone talked with Jean-Claude Van Dam, Steven Seagal, Wesley Snipes, and the demi-god himself, Mr. Chuck Norris…though let’s be honest, I don’t think movie-goers could have handled the intensity of seeing Chuck Norris on screen. Maybe some of the no-shows this time around will find their way into the sequel. Needless to say, I could have cared less of whether The Expendables had a decent story or strong acting; I just wanted to see what all these action stars could accomplish together.
This latest action film follows the highly-elite team of mercenaries known as the Expendables, led by veteran soldier Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) and his second-in-command Lee Christmas (Jason Statham). With expert fighter Yin Yang (Jet Li), explosives expert Toll Road (Randy Couture), sniper Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), heavy weapons specialist Hale Ceaser (Terry Crews), and information broker and mechanic Tool (Mickey Rourke), the Expendables are an unbeatable force. After a brief introduction to the team, the audience is introduced to the Expendables’ next mission as Ross is approached by the mysterious Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) and hired to overthrow a South American dictator who traffics drugs with the help of ex-CIA agent James Monroe (Eric Roberts) and his personal bodyguard, Dan Paine (Steve Austin). Needless to say, the Expendables have their work cut out for them, and the audience is guaranteed a gratuitous amount of violence and a record-breaking body count.
I’m not going to tip-toe through my review in any way; I absolutely loved The Expendables, primarily because of the nearly-constant level of over-the-top action and violence. I remember fighting the strong urge to go work out or stab something after I saw 300, and I had a very similar reaction to The Expendables, whether that was due to Jason Statham and Jet Li breaking necks left and right, Terry Crews dispatching dozens of guards with an automatic shotgun, or Stallone decapitating a guy with a bowie knife. With enough explosions to make Michael Bay jealous and a body-count that I lost count of half-way through the film, The Expendables is a straight shot of adrenaline that more than satisfies anyone’s propensity for violence as this group of mercenaries kill anything that moves in a variety of different ways. All of the differing action personalities click surprisingly well throughout the film, fighting together of making fun of each other, but I would have paid full admission just for the scene with Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenneger. Words cannot express how historic this scene really was…between Die Hard, Rocky, Rambo, and The Terminator, the number of action franchises represented in this scene is enough to make any hardcore action fan giggle, and I just kept praying that Bruce Willis would finish the scene by saying “Yippie-ki Yay…”well, you know how the rest of it goes. With the base simplicity of these positive aspects of the film, I was more than willing to forgive any of the weaker elements.
As I take a more critical eye to The Expendables, I have to admit that the story elements were a little clichéd and weak. Nearly all of the mercenaries depicted have some sort of personal demon they are battling, and they try and find a path to redemption through this latest mission. But just by looking at the character’s names, you can tell that The Expendables wasn’t meant to be taken too seriously…c’mon, how many badasses do you know named Barney? And given the age of some of these action stars (most of whom have aged very badly), some of the stunts are a little ridiculous, such as when the now 64-year-old Stallone pulls himself onto a moving airplane in the midst of gunfire…though he’s brought back to reality when Steve Austin kicks his ass later in the movie (Stallone actually broke his neck filming the scene). When it comes to the interactions between the cast, as I said before, all of these action stars work surprisingly well together, but there is very little character development beyond Stallone and Statham…the rest of the team is notable absent for a large portion of the movie. The Expendables is far from the best action movie ever made, and the story is pretty weak, but when you consider the history behind the film and the no-nonsense action delivered, you find it really hard to care if the plot was believable or if the acting was good.
Apparently Stallone was nervous about opening against Julia Roberts' Eat Pray Love, but The Expendables proved to be the best opening of his career (as both actor and director) topping the box-office its opening weekend, generating over $13 million the first day and continuing on to a very strong weekend haul of just over $35 million. Critical reaction has been mixed, but as I said before, I enjoyed the action far too much to be swayed into a negative opinion by those expecting a deep emotional journey in this summer blockbuster. Again, I warn readers that The Expendables is purely a guy film, so female movie-goers might be happier seeing something else. Either way, I would go and see The Expendables again in a second and I cannot wait for the sequel; if you enjoy action and violence on any level or are a fan of any of the action stars in the cast, you need to go see Stallone’s tribute to the action genre.
Overall Recommendation: Very High
