A great action flick that pays tribute to older style action movies

Rating: 8/10 (23 June 2012)

The Expendables is a movie featuring an ensemble cast of action stars designed in a fashion similar to the old action movies of the 80's and 90's. For what it is, it's an amazing action movie with a great cast that includes the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Jason Stathom, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Mickey Rourke, Dolph Lundgren, and more.
The plot is nothing too amazing, but it's good enough and follows a formula similar to the movies it pays tribute to. Basically, Sylvester Stallone plays Barney Ross, the leader of a mercenary group called the expendables that do dangerous mission for money. After being contracted to assassinate the dictator of a small republic, Barney deems the mission suicidal at first but has a change of heart when an innocent's life is at stake. It's the typical story of being the good guy, and blowing stuff up to stop the bad guy. Except it features an awesome ensemble cast.
This movie has it all in terms of fights. There are knife fights, gun fights, hand-to-hand fights, and explosions all over the place. The story is typical but the action is top notch, a true tribute to the older action films and a true delight for any action fan. The action is fast-paced, brutal, violent, and very well choreographed.
The main shortcoming the film has, though, is it's lack of attention to many of it's cast member. It has a lot of famous and talented action stars, but sadly many are downplayed. Sylvester Stallone and Jason Stathom receive most of the attention as they are in more action scenes and more scenes in general. They also receive the most character development. And Jet Li fans might be a bit disappointed as his highlight moment of the film actually makes him look kind of weak. The other members are simply underused. It's kind of sad because this is such a great cast that was recruited, and most of them could have been used a lot more.
As it stands though, The Expendables is an amazing action film that is a must see for die hard action fans. Check your brain at the door and simply enjoy all the ensuing violence.