"Expendables" Reminds Us Why We Will Watch Sylvester Stallone

Rating: 8/10 (9 August 2010)

"The Expendables" is without question the most anticipated movie of the summer of 2010. Its cast is a who's who of established action film stars of the previous three decades. Even though the previews gave away the cameo by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, it still gave us just another reason to stand in line for this movie.
And who else leads the impressive roster of stars but the American dream himself, Sylvester Stallone, who also co-wrote and directed this movie himself. Stallone is one of those rare movie stars who, even in that period of time (circa 1998-2005) when he wasn't making many films, you never heard him referred to as a B-lister or a has-been. It could be because he has arguably had more career comebacks than any actor in history.
Don't call "The Expendables" a comeback, though. If anything, it's a further reminder that Stallone can still make engrossing films that defy target audience groups. Oh yeah, and he looks better than any 64-year-old I know of.
Although Stallone wears three heavy hats in this movie, he doesn't carry the weight of the movie on his own shoulders. You've already read the names of the action stars who support him here. Although the youngest of the Expendables (Jason Statham) is 37, they are far from a rag-tag crew. This movie shows that they can still kick more ass than "Kick- Ass" (2010).
The Expendables describes a team of what could be considered mercenaries, or bounty hunters. They go on high-risk missions, guns in hand, and pick up the money owed to them at the end of the day. Their main mission in this movie is initially to overthrow a South American dictator in the fictional nation of Vilena. Eventually, they find that the real enemy is ex-CIA agent James Munroe (Eric Roberts) aided by "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and a whole army of guerrilla soldiers.
This movie is full of action sequences, all of which are fun to watch. There are also some scenes involving knives (particularly ones thrown by Jason Statham) that even made me flinch. Although there are plenty of scenes involving knives and big guns, there are some great sequences involving hand-to-hand combat. You definitely don't want to take a bathroom break when 5'6 Jet Li takes on 6'4 Dolph Lundgren. There's also a fight scene between Steve Austin and Randy Couture that will satisfy both UFC and WWE fans.
These scenes were not without their confusion, though, especially those shot using what appeared to be a hand-held camera. There were a lot of close-up shots during these intense parts that didn't seem necessary, and the way the camera shook and almost too quickly cut to another scene was confusing. Ang Lee used similar camera tricks in his version of "Hulk", and they bewildered more than entranced.
A thinking man's movie it is not, that's for sure, but it is still a fun movie that needs to be seen on the big screen. Plus, with all the testosterone in it, it may have been difficult for a woman to stand out. Although she didn't have any weapons or fighting power, Giselle Itie was hardly a damsel in distress. In fact, one scene I won't give away has her making a decision that few, men or woman, would have made amidst all the explosions and gunfire. You'll know it when you see it.
"The Expendables" will not disappoint action fans. It also is not short of quotable lines, especially in Gov. Schwarzenegger's cameo. Expendable, by definition, means considered to be not worth keeping or maintaining, but the careers of everyone involved in this film remain quite the opposite.