Rambo, you not expendable

Rating: 7/10 (22 August 2010)

"It means that if you're invited to a party, and you don't show up...it doesn't matter."
For Stallone's eight (official) film as director he has signed up most of the biggest names in old school action. But as much as I like to believe he did this as a love letter to the (superior) R-rated action flicks of old, I can't help but think he did it mainly to cover his ass by appealing to a broader range of people and widen the target audience. I like Steve Austin and Randy Couture, but do they really belong in a film with the likes of Dolph, Arnie and Bruce?
Story-wise, it's sort of a cross between The Dirty (half) Dozen and Delta Force 2. Which is weird since although the aforementioned Chuck Norris movie is several rungs down the ladder from The Expendables, it had a better plot and more coherent politics.
Stallone's script (a writer called Dave Callam is also credited, but since Sly took the story far away from his original draft it's basically a courtesy credit) is his most superficial to date. Barely anything is explained in any detail beyond "shoot the ethnics". That's all you need to know, and certainly all you get. The bad guys are drug dealers, and all of the footsoldiers are willing to die for their paycheck. Since the US government won't officially intervene they sent "The Expendables" to do the job for them. Only I never really felt like they WERE expendable. There's no exploration of their own finite existence or their acceptance of inevitable death.
For a film with six main characters a 103-minute running time is a joke. I am seriously hoping that there will be an extended blu ray since there's hardly any time to build character. You'll remember none of their names, the whole cast can just be referred to by the actor names and their reputation as action types. The only character out of all of them who has an arc is Dolph's Gunner Jensen. An arc for Stallone, Statham or Li? Forget it.
The action is good, and gory and not afraid to be a hardcore R. But the Expendables are not exempt from the modern style of action editing and bombarding us with dozens of quick-fire shots per second. It's disorientating and annoying, and for a film that proclaimed to be a throwback to the good old days (when action was clear and visible) this was a bad editing choice.
Stallone has the skill and intelligence to make good movies, but he aimed just a little too low when making the Expendables. I still have faith that he can deliver a superior sequel and I urge you to see this over any other junk out at the movies right now. Support the R-rated action movie, damn the PG-13 wannabes.