The Expendables


Monroe: “And what about me and you? We're both the same! We're both mercenaries! We're both dead inside! So why the hell did you come after me?”
Barney Ross: “I didn't come after you, dipshit! I came for her!”



release year: 2010
genre: action
viewing setting: home Bluray 9/21/21 and 6/28/18 and 5/6/17 and 11/2/16 and 11/22/15 and 6/30/14 and 10/17/13 and home DVD, 5/14/13 and 2/5/12 and 5/23/11 and 11/25/10 and theater, 8/21/10

synopsis: A band of tough, skilled mercenaries takes on an insanely difficult mission.

impressions: As you must know before reading this review, this movie is essentially a collection of many action stars, some from the 1980s golden era. Stallone wrote it and directed it, and did his damnedest to gather everyone...and I mean EVERYONE. I'll get to the names in the "acting" section. The movie had everything: hand-to-hand fighting, knife fighting, shooting, bombs, explosions, vehicle chases/battles, airborne battles. The plot wasn't as thin as some reviewers make it out to be. Also, many reviewers have complained that most of the actors are over the hill; to them I ask this: will you be in that good a physical condition at that age? Were you ever? My point is that people who criticize these guys can't hold a candle to them in terms of physique (or probably even success in life) and never could. When confronted with millionaire movie stars who work out a lot, most critics' reaction is to complain because they're jealous. Anyway. This movie kicks ass, and any fan of such films, or of the 1980s golden age of action, needs to see this, and own it.

something this movie has that no other movie has: An automatic shotgun.

acting: Sylvester Stallone is the leader of the team. Jason Statham is the de factor second-in-command who's an expert with knives and his fists. Jet Li is a diminutive martial artist. Dolph Lundgren is a hulking sniper. Randy Couture is a demolitions expert. Terry Crews is a weapons expert. Mickey Rourke is a retired team member who helps them get jobs. That's it for the good guys. The "in-between" include Bruce Willis as the one who hires them for this movie's mission, and Arnold Schwarzenegger as a rival mercenary who turns the job down. The bad guys are Eric Roberts (rogue evil ex-CIA guy), Steve Austin (main evil henchman), Gary Daniels (second evil henchman) and David Zayas (leader of the island nation and its bad-guy soldiers.) Gisele Itie is a woman who inadvertently convinces Stallone to take the mission. All that's missing here are Jean-Claude Van Damme and Steven Seagal (both of whom foolishly turned down roles in this) and Chuck Norris.

final word: This is as close to the perfect action movie as anyone could ask for (and if you didn't ask for it, shut the hell up and step aside.)

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