The Expendables

Films of this kind can never excite me, already from their very basic nature – heroes that only rely on their muscles can never be heroes to me (and they aren’t). The Expendables are a celebration of dumb brute force – and a pretty expendable film as far as I’m concerned. Long live modern action films that rely on something other than how long and how often a hero on ‘roids can drop “funny” wisecracks. Back in the 80s, that may have had its charm (which I can feel even today when I watch those old films), but I don’t see any reason to go back to that. PS: The church scene was incredibly artificial and forced, like the rest of the film. PS2: The inferno at the end is pretty cool in the details but utterly confusing as a whole. (29/08/2010)

Arnold’s back... It worked! Stallone proved that a bunch of action legends won’t get in each other’s way, they can work together as a team in a movie about guys, for guys. The action is some top-notch, good, honest work that cost a lot of blood, sweat and broken bones, and the end result is totally worth it. The bombastic finale, the brawls and the brilliant old-style car chase. It’s beautiful. The cast is a whole other chapter of its own. THAT scene is milked to the last one-liner, every wink, every little jab is a sight to sore eyes for someone who was brought up on these old guys. Jason Statham has broken the jinx of co-starring fails with Jet Li. And Jet’s grumbling little squirt is such an impossibly nice guy, it’s incredible. Dolph Lundgren, one word – awesome. Ok, I’ll cut it short, but I must mention Eric Roberts who, if you don’t count the bad guy monolog, had almost exclusively snappy lines. And Tyler’s music rumbled away in all the right ways. A heartfelt matter. ...Arnold left. Now Sly’s here. Warning shot! (23/08/2010)

Paradoxically, it should have been even duller and more straightforward. The film is particularly damaging by the pursuit of a sophisticated motivation for a lifelong killer who wants to save at least a piece of his empty soul. In Rambo IV, Stallone drowned it in blood and bulldog focus, here the film struggles with it and has trouble explaining to the viewer why the characters are where they are and why they do what they do. Regardless, The Expendables looks like disparate testosterone action sketches and a spelling-book of "meta-movie" catchphrases (the more you know the map of the 80s, the more you enjoy them). The event is solidly physical, but confusing in places for my taste – those attempts at "Greengrass kinetics" – and rushed. The film is also lacking the 80’s drive in the style of "you killed my uncle, so I’m going to hurt you now". I had a good time, but I couldn't shake the feeling that Stallone didn't cross the magic line and fall into that retro river completely. Sometimes he seems to try to "talk" his way into it unnecessarily when the door needs to be kicked in. That's why I'm hesitating about giving it a fourth star. (11/08/2010)

I know that the review at the end is exaggerated, but I just can't help it. I know that the story is incredibly simple and cliché, that there are scenes that play on emotions in almost unnecessary ways, which do not have any meaning for the plot, but when I watch the movie... It's still great. Sylvester Stallone had an idea. Get together more aging fighters, put them together with the young ones, and create a great gathering of stars. He succeeded a bit. Besides Sly himself, there are also Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke from the old guard, Bruce Willis and, of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger in smaller roles. Finding these guys and adding stars like Jason Statham and Jet Li, as well as spicing it up with football star Terry Crews, MMA fighter Randy Couture, and wrestling giant "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, this had to be a hit in the end, whether you like it or not. Together, there is an incredibly packed and explosive team that has to stand up to a small dictator, his army, but mainly a scheming American who finances the dictator for his own interests. Among other things, the dictator is played by David Zayas, known from the TV series "Dexter," and the scheming American is played by B-list legend Eric Roberts. The story is not brilliant, not perfect, but the action scenes are just fantastic, each one has its place, each one has its style. Jason Statham is a knife thrower, Dolph is the brawler, Jet Li is the master of martial arts, and Terry Crews is a pro at really big explosions. I'm looking forward to the sequel, I'm looking forward to the third one, which I have no doubt will be made. My rating is high mainly because this is a return to legends, a return in a style that suits them. More: http://www.filmovy-denik.cz/2012/09/rebelka-perfect-sense-sprosty-holky.html (27/02/2013)

I was absolutely sure that I wouldn't like it, but from time to time one must endure mental torture in order to appreciate even more the movies that are truly worth watching. Half of the members of the cast I categorize as "My Least Favorite Nightmares," and some of them, like Arnold Schwarzenegger, I don't consider actors, but rather stereotypical figures, while others, like Sylvester Stallone, as below-average actors, and it is characteristic that if a quality action actor like Bruce Willis appears in something like this, they just briefly show up on the screen. The Expendables pay homage to violent action films from the 80s with muscle-bound heroes and these sorts of productions didn't make the slightest impression on me even at 15 years old, let alone today. Action productions that I appreciate include titles such as Indiana Jones, Die Hard, or the Bourne series, in general, movies that rely on a quality screenplay and top-notch acting. The Expendables is just as dim-witted as its genre predecessors and the scene of the contract negotiation in a church, which has humor, can't save it. For me, The Expendables is the same as a really strong cigar for a devoted non-smoker. Overall impression: 15%. (07/11/2010)