The Expendables

Release Date: Aug 13, 2010 

Runtime: 1 hr. 43 min. 

Director: Sylvester Stallone 

Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture, David Zayas, Eric Roberts.

Seems like Sylvester Stallone pulled all the stops when he put together his dream team of mercenaries, taking cue from every possible action genre imaginable. Even Governor Arnold took time off to grace us with a cameo, setting up the best punch line in the entire film (hint: president). “The Expendables” is anything short of greatness, being the very antithesis of chick flicks and packing the punches. Yet, it swiftly becomes an overindulgent film that revels in its cast of superstar action heroes. While the trailers and marketing boast big names, you rarely get to see them all together on screen. A few scenes even go as far as appearing as endorsements for some—I’m looking at you, Couture—but to see such a gathering of heavyweights is a rarity in its own and something to appreciate. The story is fairly linear, getting slow at certain points while bursting with force at others. Contrary to “The Other Guys,” the best parts are saved for the last 30 minutes, chock-full of shootouts, brawls and explosives. Enough to make you forget the non-existence of character development or quality acting. But say what you will, Stallone’s still got a few solid years left in him, even if it’s minimal at that. 

Rating: 3 stars