Visuals Do The Talking

Rating: 7/10 (30 August 2010)

The selling point of the film, The Expendables is the iconic cast itself. Stallone, Willis, Schwarzenegger and company bring their star power to this otherwise average action film. The storyline does not offer many surprises. This is still a good versus bad guys film with a lot of firefights in between. There parts and scenes in the film that could have been shortened or removed with little effect on the finished product. Schwarzenegger's cameo is really an end unto itself. The whole point of the scene being his appearance. Also, Mickey Rourke is given a role that is inconsequential, which is quite unfortunate, since Rourke is very much a fine actor. This in turn brings up another shortcoming of this film. Audiences are used to seeing this collection of stars in lead roles. They carry their films. In The Expendables, they are almost reduced to being bit players. What this film has going for it, are highly entertaining action sequences and doses of self-deprecating humor that can only be delivered by actors who have reached the heights of stardom. By watching this film, you really get what can be expected of a Stallone film, an emphasis on the visual rather than on dialogue and complexity of plot. Setting aside expectations of a memorable screenplay, anyone viewing The Expendables can still find it worthwhile to see.