In the past decade action movies have gone through some significant changes. The muscle bound heroes shouting quotable one-liners, shooting first, shooting last, following pure instinct, and using their meaty fists to dispense justice, have been replaced. Action heroes of today are sophisticated, utilizing vast levels of technology and the speed of refined martial arts skills. For movie fans that prefer the rock’em sock’em explosion filled action flicks of the ‘80s and ‘90s, look no further than Sylvester Stallone’s The Expendables.
With acting, writing, and directing credits that include the Rocky and Rambo franchises, Stallone is ostensibly the king of action movies. In 2010’s The Expendables he put together an old school action film about a team of operatives working in and outside the law righting wrongs while kicking butt and taking names. Solicited by a mysterious man named Mr. Church, Barney Ross (Stallone) and his team come to the aid of a Latin American island nation being ruled by a tyrannical military leader and a corrupt American businessman. What follows is chock full of explosions, gunfire, and lots of hand to hand combat.
Aside from the draw of being Stallone’s first directorial project since Staying Alive that doesn’t feature Rocky Balboa or John Rambo, The Expendables features a heavy hitting list of cast members. Stallone is joined by action legends Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, and Mickey Rourke, as well as newer action man Jason Statham, and the intimidating likes of former athletes Randy Couture, Terry Crews, and Steve Austin. The movie itself doesn’t have a complicated story or characters with wide ranges of depth, but for anyone feeling nostalgic for the 20 year-old action style, it’s a great flick. With this crew of man’s men, the movie is fueled by testosterone but doesn’t bother answering who is toughest. Seeing the older, slightly haggard Stallone, Willis, and Schwarzenegger trade barbs in a church, watching real life fighters Couture and Austin exchange punches, and enjoying the gumption of Li taking on Lundgren is a popcorn movie night feast.
Special features include a “Before the Battle” making-of featurette, audio commentary with Stallone, deleted scenes, marketing archive, and a gag reel.
Directed and written by Stallone, The Expendables was co-written by Dave Callaham. Along with the aforementioned cast, the movie features Giselle Itié, Eric Roberts, Charisma Carpenter, and David Zayas. Rated R for strong action, bloody violence, and some language, the movie is 103 minutes long.
Fans of the Rocky, Die Hard, and Transporter franchises will love this movie. You can pick up a copy at most stores for around $15-20. Be sure to check it out before the sequel hits theaters this summer.
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