by Geoffrey Ciani – When people think of Sylvester Stallone they think action, and Sly certainly does not disappoint on that front with his latest effort The Expendables. The creator of Rocky succeeded in taking an all-star cast of action icons and producing an absolute orgy of slaughter, mayhem, and destruction. Indeed, Stallone deathly juggles every type of violence imaginable.
The Expendables represents a welcome return to the pinnacle 1980s action film brilliance, and not just because it included the likes of Arnold Schwarzenegger (Predator), Bruce Willis (Die Hard), and Dolph Lundren (best known to boxing fans for his role as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV). Whether you enjoy high speed chases, earth shattering explosions, bloody bullet holes, or watching a slew of enemies get gunned down in the midst of battle, this movie did not disappoint.
Stallone wisely substitutes character development for character types which allowed for the action to dictate the pacing. All too often films from this genre in the post-80s era tend to take themselves too seriously and dwell on unnecessary drama that detracts from the overall charm. Stallone does not make that mistake. Quite the contrary, his straightforward approach and simple but highly effective direction made for a lively, fast-paced flurry of aesthetically pleasing sequences.
Barney Ross (Stallone) is the leader of a group of highly skilled mercenaries who are hired by the enigmatic Mr. Church (Willis) to assassinate the dictator of the small island country of Vilena, General Garza (David Zayas). The tight-knit crew includes knife specialist Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), kung fu badass Ying Yang (Jet Li), and weapon specialist Hale Caesar (Terry Crews). Also privy to the party were loose cannon Gunner Jensen (Lundron), mixed martial artist Toll Road (Randy Couture), and tattoo artist Tool (former boxer Mickey Rourke, who was once trained by the great Freddie Roach). On the other side, James Munroe (Eric Roberts) is an evil entrepreneur accompanied by his henchman Paine (Steve Austin).
While the movie is sometimes predictable and not exactly groundbreaking (apart from the unique ensemble of cast superstars), it does not need or intend to be. Instead, it delivers because of its smooth style and tight pacing (just 103 minutes) reminiscent of some of the greatest action films ever made from the 1980s. If you are a fan of the Rambo franchise, and movies like Commando, Predator, Die Hard, Missing in Action, The Terminator, and Aliens, you will not be disappointed.
The climax alone—with a beautifully orchestrated symphony of sheer violence that includes deadly knives, spraying bullets, huge explosions, hand-to-hand combat, broken limbs, lots of blood, intense chases, hostages, heavy weaponry, soldiers, demolition, improvisation, unforeseen obstacles, insurmountable odds, and a slew of people getting wasted in the midst of heated battle—is worth the price of admission. What more can a moviegoer ask for?
The Expendables successfully combines the best aspects of mindless violence into a neatly packaged product that action fans yearn to watch.
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