Stallone’s Fun, Formulaic, Flawed Action-Star Ensemble Hits Three Now

Stallone's fun, formulaic, flawed action-star ensemble hits ThreeNow

Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Lundgren, Lee, Rourke, Austin, Eric Roberts, Couture, Crews, Willis, Schwarzenegger. It was actually a list of action stars past and present that former writer-director Sylvester Stallone managed to cast in the lead roles in this 2010 old-school action movie. And it could have been even more stellar if Wesley Snipes didn’t have disciplinary issues, Kurt Russell was a team player, or Steven Seagal resolved his management issues.

Be that as it may, the story speaks of a group of mercenaries known for their ability to get the job done – for the right price, more than enough aging big boys fighting for screen time. After guiding several Somali pirates, they have one last task to travel to the island of Vilena and overthrow a corrupt president (Dexter as David Zayas) backed by a rogue CIA agent (played by Eric Roberts). However, this is not the walk in the park they originally envisioned, because the operation very quickly becomes a nightmarish journey and then back again.

With over 250 bodies, lots of pyrotechnics, villainous presidents, a handsome Latino love interest, and a few poignant one-liners (mostly produced by the enigmatic but affable Statham), The Expendables is like an 80s action movie blast. But while the “bad Shakespeare” plot (as superbad boy Roberts describes it) can be forgiven, fans of the genre will struggle with the flat, flabby bits between the artfully crafted sets.

The team spends a lot of time discussing their girlfriends’ problems, inferiority complexes and existential crises, while Stallone and co-writer Dave Callaham’s script is rife with awkward dialogue. The Expendables is a funny, formulaic, and imperfect film that brings back memories of old friends, some of whom aren’t as upbeat as you remember them in good times. The Expendables is now available to stream on ThreeNow, Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.