Movies Reviews

The Expendables – Movie Review

By Anne Brodie Aug 11, 2010, 15:45 GMT

THE EXPENDABLES is a hard-hitting action/thriller about a group of mercenaries hired to infiltrate a South American country and overthrow its ruthless dictator.  Once the mission begins, the men realize things aren’t quite as they appear, finding themselves caught in a dangerous web of deceit and betrayal.  With their mission thwarted and an innocent life in danger, the men struggle with an even tougher challenge – one that threatens to ...more

That Mickey Rourke.  He just can’t help it.  Rourke has stolen a movie once again. 

Right out from under onetime action superstars Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dolph Lundgren and Jet Li as well as Jason Statham, Steve Austin, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, and Eric Robert, and he doesn’t do that much.  Such is the power of the Rourkester.

While the knife and gun welding “good” thugs plot, plan, agonize, and kill, Rourke sits in his man cave painting guitars and tattooing people.  That’s all. 

And he grabs us by the shoulders and gives us a shake, pulling us out of the acting free, videogame we’re watching, reminding us that Expendables is trying to be something.

Rourke is obviously the best part of the movie, especially in his moving soliloquy on love, shot in tight close-up, lingering on just a slice of his face.  He delivers a world of heart and soul.

The second best part is Terry Crews, marching down a stone hallway, firing repeating cannon at the bad guys who fall as though they’re being sliced through with a giant blade.  The sound, the blast and the sheer power of it makes you want to shout.

The third best part is a brief but memorable appearance by the Governator, Arnold Schwarzenegger in a church where we’re told he “wants to be president.”  This as he exits the church bathed in a mighty ray of sunshine!

Nerds have been breathlessly awaiting The Expendables, and the opening sequences will have them drooling – an impressive gunfight between the Expendables and hostage-holding Somalian pirates nears art.  But the remaining 90 minutes don’t measure up.

The flight, fight and rescue scenes aren’t cinematically imaginative or fresh and rely too heavily on explosions and fire.  These may be the biggest explosions and fires in film, but they don’t amount to much.

The plot is as thin as a runway model, featuring freelance mercenaries on a mission to take down a South American dictator.  He is cruel and controlling towards his people and his modelesque, danger loving daughter.  We learn he may be a dictator but he too answers to someone else.

His daughter does little besides appear in her own sexy hero shot and undergo water boarding interrogation and fall into Stallone’s arms.  He falls for her as much as a busy mercenary can and uses his suddenly awakened passion to try to free her from her fathers grip.  But he’s too tough to kiss her.

There’s a slight tang of anti-Americanism as unfriendly Yanks invade islands, prop up illegal governments and “save the world”.  As these mercenaries have worked in various war zones around the world, and known foreigners in rough situations, they have been exposed to new ways of thinking.  And then there’s that American super villain.  Interesting choice.

The film is plagued by the usual action video game type movies curse.  It’s unnecessarily dark, blurry, and incomprehensible.  It’s tough to see what’s going on in this cinematic construct that substitutes dark and dangerous for good storytelling.

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35mm action, adventure
Written by Sylvester Stallone, Dave Callaham
Directed by Sylvester Stallone
Opens: August 13
Runtime: 102 minutes
MPAA: Rated R for strong action and bloody violence throughout, and for some language
Country: USA
Language: English