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The Expendables (Blu-ray, 2010)
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From now on, for every time someone tells me how cool it is that I get to go see movies to review, I will point to a movie like The Expendables, just so they know it is not always fun. The Expendables is in many ways review-proof. The word of mouth will likely hurt the box office sooner or later, but no matter what the critics say, people will flock to it at first. I would be shocked if it did not have a massive opening weekend. And why not. The stars of this movie have earned the benefit of the doubt, especially when it comes to action movies. The draw of this movie will not be the plot- it won’t even be the action you have seen in the trailers- it will be the potential. As a fan of action movies, it is almost impossible not to be excited for this movie from name recognition alone. The best comparison for the cast that I could think of would be the original basketball Dream Team that laid waste to the Olympic competition. Unfortunately there are serious flaws to the movie that are impossible to overlook.Read full review
What a fun movie. It's simply not true that actors get too old for roles to play. The problem is that writer's have little or no imagination to put those actors to work. They are, every one, beyond their prime but the story is delightful and perhaps not all pure fantasy as one can see from the way these boys keep themselves in shape. Stallone grimaces through the entire film, Lundgren seems perpetually punch drunk, Li still can't speak passable English, Willis makes a great shadowy CIA figure, Statham is about the only one who could realistically pass, and Arnold, well, is Arnold. The puns are many and ridiculous but I think that's what they were meant to be. This is a fantasy about past glories and youth but somehow it rings true in the dedication and perseverance of the people playing the roles. It's a hoot and thoroughly enjoyable. It is what it is. Let it be. Blessed be Laura PatonRead full review
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
The one thing in Hollywood that people tend to overlook is that it’s hard to be a tough guy anymore. Everyone wants to be a tough action hero but it’s rather hard to believe that someone like Matt Damon is a badass in actual life. He’s a great actor, and the Bourne franchise was excellent, but the one thing missing from that (and most other action films of the last 20 years) is that deep down inside we really don’t buy Matt Damon as a tough guy. He’s a pretty boy acting like he’s spent nights in jail for bar fights when in reality he was the guy huddled in the corner, praying for the police to come so he can resume drinking his wine spritzer. You don’t think of Matt Damon as a guy who played football or wrestled at a high level, then became an actor. He’s a guy who became an actor and then acts like a tough guy; most Hollywood types are like that. It’s why the action film is not what it once was. You can buy a guy like Sylvester Stallone being a tough guy because he actually is one. Hence the reason why The Expendables works as well as it does; at its heart these “men on a mission” are legit tough guys as opposed to actors pretending to walk the walk when they’re really merely talking it. Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone) leads a team of mercenaries into some of the worst places in the world. He is joined by his second in command Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), demolitions expert Toll Road (Randy Couture), weapons expert Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) and martial artist Yin Yang (Jet Li). With Tool (Mickey Rourke) coordinating their jobs from a tattoo parlor, this is an elite group of commandos that get paid well for the dirtiest of jobs a mercenary can do. When a job from a CIA front man (Bruce Willis) leads him to a small South American country led by a dictator (David Zayas) and a rogue CIA operative (Eric Roberts) they want dead (and the odds stacked against them) Ross and his team go in to save a girl (Gisele Itie) that represents something more for Ross. And that’s one of the more interesting aspects of The Expendables; it’s that there’s something more to it than just two hours or so of zealous action work. It has heart to it. The film’s main focus is on Ross, not shocking because Stallone directed & co-wrote it as well as stars in it, but the film focuses on his redemption as a character. He’s been a killer across many continents and there’s a weariness to him that Stallone brings out in him that’s understated. This is man who’s been hardened by years of doing dirty work. This is his opportunity for him to do something good to still hold on that part of him that still has a soul worth saving. It’s in a conversation with Rourke, a quiet scene between the two, where this comes out. It’s a small bit of brilliant acting by Rourke, and a large (and almost unnoticed) bit from Stallone allowing Rourke to dominate a scene and let him non-verbally play off of it. It takes a lot from an actor to allow another to dominate the scene, to stay out of his way and let him bring out more than what the screenplay demands, and Stallone the actor is in sync with Stallone the writer/director in letting this small but crucial moment happen. It’s the impetus to the film’s final act and without would feel like something tacked on because the film needed to justify its explosion budget. In an era where everyone wants to be a tough guy, The Expendables proves that one of the things you can’t fake with CGI or a personal trainer is actually being a tough guy.Read full review
The reason you watch this film is for the aging action stars (no armored walkers) that you enjoyed in the 80's & 90's together again. There are almost as many plot holes as bullet holes, but that's not the point! Just non-stop action, great Blu ray picture quality and audio that will tax your home theater system. Eric Roberts play a great villain, and everything moves quickly. It's mindless entertainment, so sit back with a beer and a big bowl of popcorn - and enjoy!
I love this movie. The cast is great, there is great chemistry between them and the actors all look as though they had a blast making this movie. The locations are beautiful, and everything in the movie flows very well. This has become one of my favorite movies that when nothing else seems good to watch, I can always put this one on and have an entertaining time.
Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: Pre-owned
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