A Letdown!

Rating: 4/10 (20 August 2010)

Sylvester Stallone is a legend, no two options on that! He is one of my favorite stars, I was crazy about him in his 'Rambo' days. As a fan, I expected a lot of entertainment from his latest flick 'The Expendables'. The film stars each and every Action Star, apart from Van Damme and Jackie Chan. It's obvious you'd except outstanding entertainment & bad-ass action from this one, right? Sadly, I got not even half of the entertainment I had expected.
About a team of mercenaries head to South America on a mission to overthrow a dictator. Sly the writer, brings down Sly the director as well. 'The Expendables' begins with a bang, but loses the grip 30-minutes into the film. In fact, the story just doesn't move. For example, Dolph Lundgren's track, it contributes nothing to film. But yet it is given a start, middle & end. Also, Jason Statham's romantic track is a yawn. It looks out of place! But, the climax is superb. It's explosive Action, and lives up to the genre of the film.
One expected much more from Sly. His writing is not sharp. His direction, due to a poor screenplay, is average. Even the scene between Sly-Arnie-Willis fails to make an impact. Jeffrey Kimball's Cinematography is fine. Editing by, Ken Blackwell & Paul Harb lacks fin-ace.
In the acting department, Sly, the actor, is surely in form. But the show-stealer, is undoubtedly, Mickey Rourke. The veteran is remarkable in a cameo appearance. The scene where he recalls his past, his expressions, his dialouge delivery, is simply awesome. In fact, it's the most effective scene in the entire film. Jason Statham is just right. Jet Li is fair. Dolph Lundgren doesn't work, mainly due to amateur characterization. Randy Couture is okay. Eric Roberts hams. Steve Austin is able. Charisma Carpenter, looks angelic in a small role.
On the whole, A must watch only for Sly's devotees. Otherwise, catch this directly on DVD!