The Expendables 3
I remember how excited not only myself, but other people, were when Sylvester Stallone presented the idea for the “The Expendables.” A film that brings together some of the biggest bad-asses in modern movie history for a knock-down, drag out brawl of an action movie? Sign me up, especially when the prospect of Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis sharing the screen for the first time came up. Looking back at it, it’s kind of silly that we got so worked up about this franchise-to-be, because let’s be honest, it’s nothing more than a chance for these actors, led by Stallone’s Barney Ross, to blow shit up in mindlessly absurd ways like they have in other, mostly better, movies.
All that being said, though, Stallone (who has co-written each movie) has some things to say with this about how just because people are past their prime, that doesn’t mean they lose their intrinsic value. This third film, directed by Patrick Hughes (a relative newcomer), has Ross and co. (including Jason Statham, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, Dolph Lundgren, and Wesley Snipes, as an old-school Expendable the crew breaks out of prison) going up against Conrad Stonebanks, an arms dealer who was a founding Expendable with Ross before feeling betrayed by his country. Stonebanks is played by Mel Gibson, who is very good at playing bad, probably because so many of his characters (Mad Max and Martin Riggs) seemed to toe that line at times anyway. Watching Gibson and Stallone square off with each other is a genuine pleasure, whether it’s after Stonebanks is captured by Barney, or when the two are fighting it out at the end. This isn’t the first villain Gibson’s played recently (he played another sort of arms dealer in the ridiculously bad “Machete Kills” last year), but it’s probably the best indicator that as Mel tries to have a career after seeming to burn so many bridges in Hollywood and with the public, giving into that dark streak he’s always had is a good way to go.
As I mentioned, Stallone has some themes he wants to explore with this series about friendship and aging, but let’s be honest, nobody really cares about that stuff. The audience for “The Expendables” movies is wanting to see gruff and grizzled action legends kick ass one more time, and if that’s all you want, “The Expendables 3” delivers that in a “how the Hell did they get a PG-13?” manner. (The answer– minimal blood shown.) In addition to the people mentioned earlier, Stallone also finds places for Jet Li (who had a bigger role in the first two films), Antonio Banderas (my favorite new addition to the cast), and Harrison Ford (in for Willis, who wanted too much for too little time) to get in on the action, and some younger blood like Kellan Lutz and Ronda Rousey. Turn off your brain, and just enjoy some action absurdity for a couple of hours and you’ll be fine, though personally, I’m fine if this is all there is to this odd little franchise.
