The air is seemingly filled with pure testosterone. It reaches inside of you and pinches your nerves for a sharp respond. You cackle with laughter and you mouth off exclamations. The steady flow of red corn syrup washes in many directions along with hunks of plastic and ground meat. You are experiencing and enjoying an action movie, and you are not caring about the bigger picture unless it has helicopters.
THE EXPENDABLES wants to achieve this familiar rush. It wants to be a rebirth of the people and places of the 1980's and 1990's actionsploitation while nodding with a tongue in cheek. If you enjoyed the film's company of actors that once lived in your old VCR's, a sense of homecoming and warmth will await you. But, the air is not the same and your feelings of lust and comfort become cold. THE EXPENDABLES is a mishandling of can't miss properties and exists as a mangled movie with brief highlights.
Sylvester Stallone directs and co-writes the film. He is the mastermind, the barker to bring a bunch of former and new action film stars into this fan-made dream circus. However, instead of a new showing of THE DIRTY DOZEN, he showcases RAMBO again, the two year old film that helped him back on track. THE EXPENDABLES doesn't have to have a truly original story but it shouldn't have to be something Stallone already did very recently and do it even worse. The plot hits the same notes; A old-timer says he'll help a courageous woman in a jungle environment, backs away afterwards, the woman is captured by the dictator of the land, and the old-timer goes on a killing spree.
The only difference is that a group of fellow guns-for-hire are shoe-horned in with barely any character development and a very muddled storyline involving the two villains bickering constantly is included. None of the Expendables are fleshed out beyond simple goofy dialogue exchanges such as height issues and cauliflower shaped ears. Stallone's character is ho-hum and usually flat while Jason Statham's has a very pointless subplot with a former girlfriend. I think this element was included to hide the homoerotic vibe between the two main leads, but considering that 80's and 90's films always had that integrated in the subtext makes it an odd move. The only two actors to get any real material and true interest is Mickey Rourke and Dolph Lundgren. They both have minor but enthralling roles as broken-down mercenaries with lingering issues with their mental state.
As for the villain's storyline, it is the opposite with too much attention given to it. Eric Roberts and David Zayas spend every scene complaining at each other about ethics and conduct. Their arguments creates an undeserved morality debate in what's supposed to be a cheesy action film. All of these gray areas being included in caused myself to question whether to cheer for the Expendables as they gun down the army. The cheering also is snuffed out by the unfocused direction of action scenes and the often dark blue lighting scheme. You do experience some breath-taking action choreography through the mess but it is still hard to decipher when the camera is too close for comfort.
THE EXPENDABLES is pretty much perfect only when it is going to be released for DVD. It has some excitement and entertainment to behold, but it just isn't worthwhile to see in theaters. You know there is a problem when most of the violence is with throwing knives instead of guns and the blood is done in post production. Still, the much talked about sequence where Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger haze each other is a worthwhile experience. The film is simply a bittersweet reunion but at least there is some good memories being recalled.
FINAL REVIEW: 2 / 5
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