Stallone is Dependable...

Rating: 7/10 (25 August 2010)

A gang of mercenaries (Stallone, Statham, Li, Couture and Crews) take on and single handedly destroy a Colombian army led by rogue CIA agent Eric Roberts and his two bodyguards Stone Cold Steve Austin and Gary Daniels, while Lundgren is kicked out of said gang and turns against his former comrades. The Expendables is a lot of fun, indeed i'm amazed at the reviews this has gotten. Indeed this is pretty much what you would expect, the story is right out of the Golan and Globus play-book, the acting is actually better than that and while the fight sequences rely too heavily on the shaky camera such doesn't take too much away from the choreography or the fact that the Lundgren Vs Li is a highlight. The rest of the action is very well staged and quite exciting. The climax in particular though is what gives The Expendables it's high marks, whether it be throwing a missile and exploding it, or the automatic shotgun this has all the hallmarks of goofy 80s action. Indeed my only complaint would be Lundgren's scant time (hopefully in the sequel he'll get to cut loose) and the way Li's martial artistry wasn't as exploited as it should've been. Other than that this is highly enjoyable stuff and really you get what you pay for. In a time when action cinema doesn't even deliver on the action and body-count (Usually long exposition for 80% of the movie) The Expendables is refreshing to see, It's also nice to see that the stars of our youth still have it. It's no Wild Bunch, but then really what is. Count me in for the sequel and hopefully Stallone recruits Arnold (for more of a part), Van Damme,Norris, Seagal and Michael Dudikoff.
* * * out of 4-(Good)