The Expendables (2010)
Average Rating: 5.2/10
Reviews Counted: 196
Fresh: 80 | Rotten: 116
It makes good on the old-school action it promises, but given all the talent on display, The Expendables should hit harder.
Average Rating: 4.9/10
Critic Reviews: 35
Fresh: 10 | Rotten: 25
It makes good on the old-school action it promises, but given all the talent on display, The Expendables should hit harder.
liked it
Average Rating: 3.4/5
User Ratings: 144,639
My Rating
Movie Info
An all-star cast of action-movie icons headline Sylvester Stallone's explosive action thriller about a group of hard-nosed mercenaries who are double-crossed during a treacherous mission. Approached by the shadowy Church (Bruce Willis) to overthrow tyrannical South American dictator General Gaza (David Zayas) and restore order to the troubled island country of Vilena, stoic soldier of fortune Barney Ross (Stallone) rounds up an unstoppable team that includes former SAS soldier and blade
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Cast
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Sylvester Stallone
Barney 'The Schizo' Ros... -
Jason Statham
Lee Christmas -
Mickey Rourke
Tool -
Terry Crews
Hale Caesar -
Jet Li
Yin Yang -
Dolph Lundgren
Gunner Jensen -
Randy Couture
Toll Road -
David Zayas
General Gaza -
Steve Austin
Paine -
Charisma Carpenter
Lacy -
Eric Roberts
James Munroe -
Giselle Itie
Sandra -
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Himself, Trench -
Gary Daniels
The Brit -
Amin Joseph
Pirate Leader -
Senyo Amoaku
Tall Pirate -
Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira
Garza's Bodyguard #1 -
Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
Garza's Bodyguard #2 -
Sassa Nascimento
Vilena Customs Agent -
R.A. Rondell
Gunner's Goon -
Tze Yep
Gagged Hostage -
Preshas Jenkins
Gunner's Pirate -
Ronn Surels
American Operative -
Lauren Jones
Cheyenne -
Prazeres Barbosa
Old Woman Bartender -
Jose Luis Lopez Vasquez
Cell Guard #1 -
Daniel Arrias
Cell Guard #2 -
Antonio Gullo
Farmer -
Javier Lambert
Squad Leader -
Tatsu Carvalho
Palace Guard -
Marcio Rosario
Royal Guard Leader -
Paulo Gustavo Bastos
Vilenan Soldier -
Hank Amos
Paul -
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The Expendables Trailer & Photos
All Critics (197) | Top Critics (35) | Fresh (83) | Rotten (116) | DVD (6)
The movie had been billed as a throwback to the action flicks of the 1980s, but that pitch turns out to be false advertising.
The rest of the mayhem is simply ultraviolent, nonstop, and numbing. Better jokes might have helped.
If you like watching men with no necks thumping each other, this could be your Citizen Kane.
What you will find is both familiar in its contours and unique in its casting.
It's not the age of the actors that makes The Expendables expendable. It's the stale storytelling.
The Expendables isn't as much fun as it should be.
The action scenes are huge and excessively violent on a scale not seen since the closing scenes of Commando. At one point, in the absence of any buildings to detonate or ammunition depots to destroy, I think I saw an explosion explode.
What we end up with is an incomprehensible, overly-long explosion-fest that could have easily been retitled "A.D.D.: The Motion Picture."
the kind of all-out, over the top action movie they just don't make anymore, which is probably a good thing because the human brain can only take a movie that provides the equivalent to getting three consecutive adrenaline shots so many times.
I like the idea of this movie much more than how it actually turned out.
This has been clearly aimed at - pardon the pun - diehard action film fans. Anyone else, who might expect a vague sense of irony, will be sorely disappointed.
... It's a little like meeting up with old friends, only to come away deflated, realising you just don't have that much to talk about any more.
Stallone, with his highly unusual current face, is so busy making googly eyes at Statham and nursing a man-crush that he forgets that the goal of this movie is MORE KILLING.
If you are a connoisseur of the Steven Seagal flavor of direct-to-DVD action film, seeing all these guys up on screen actually is a lot of fun. It doesn't make it a good movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it's still a lot of fun.
This movie isn't for everyone, Stallone knows his audience - it does not try to push the envelope, doesn't use cgi tricks - this movie is strictly for fans of old school action movies
Unnatural but kind of remarkable.
Provides a decent, if not totally fulfilling, fix of that something we miss.
Certainly not a great film, but an enjoyable slice of surprisingly low-key, classic '80s action filmmaking complete with an awesome cast.
... a perfectly enjoyable mercenaries-on-a-mission-of-redemption adventure with a mix of testosterone-fueled camaraderie and this-time-it's-personal seriousness.
Stallone knows his fans. The Expendables is a big, happy geek package readymade for chips and beer-and perhaps something harder, if you're not a fan.
Suitable for a night of cold beer, chili, and a hot woman at your side...
Audience Reviews for The Expendables
Super Reviewer
That's not a total bad thing, though. It's cool seeing Sly and Dolph share the screen again, and of course, there's the much talked about church scene with Sly, Bruce, and Arnie. A cool scene, but it feels really rushed. The story is very simple and predictable, but that's part of the charm. The script however, is an all over the place mess. I'm okay with the silly one liners that mostly fall flat. What I don't like is the uneven character development. Lots of focus is placed on Statham, and his relations with Sly, as well as the Sly and Rourke stuff, but everything else is just left hanging. They should have made a longer film along the lines of The Dirty Dozen or something, and shaped it like that. In fact, I was reminded more of stuff like that instead of the 80s/90s films. This works well as a "men on a mission" picture, even if it leaves something to be desired.
I was close to giving this an extra half star, but the aforementioned issues are what keep me from doing it. There are some things that are done well, though. Stallone definitely knows how to do action scenes, and those are awesome. Some of the camera work and editing were a bit too shaky for me, but at least not all of the gore was cg. I also really liked Rourke dramatic monologue. It was well done and gave the film a sense of purpose. The cast is pretty good. They seem to have decent chemistry, and I liked how it was a mixture of veterans of the genre and newcomers like Couture and Crews. Also, having bonafide actors like Rourke and Roberts added some nice weight and gravitas.
This could have been the best damn action film ever. Instead it becomes merely a fun and entertaining yet flawed tribute. It has some merits, but is unfortunately too flawed to really recommend. C+
Super Reviewer
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- Yin Yang: I need a raise.
- Barney 'The Schizo' Ross: Why?
- Yin Yang: I need the money for my family. I want to send my son to a better school.
- Lee Christmas: When did you get a family?
- Yin Yang: Don't ask. I don't know.
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- Yin Yang: I need more money.
- Barney 'The Schizo' Ross: I know you told me, for your family right?
- Yin Yang: I don't have family.
- Barney 'The Schizo' Ross: I know.
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- Paine: How many men you got?
- Barney 'The Schizo' Ross: Just your mother!
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- Yin Yang: When I get hurt, the hole is bigger, because I'm smaller.
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- Lee Christmas: Are you crazy?! You could've killed me!
- Barney 'The Schizo' Ross: You're welcome!
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- Trench: Why don' we 'ave dinna sometime?
- Barney 'The Schizo' Ross: Sure, when?
- Trench: In a thousand years.
- Barney 'The Schizo' Ross: Too soon.
- Himself: Mr. Church: What's his problem?
- Barney 'The Schizo' Ross: He wants to be president.
Discussion Forum
| Topic | Last Post | Replies |
|---|---|---|
| Fuck all of you | 55 days ago | 1 |
Latest News on The Expendables
April 24, 2013:
Patrick Hughes Directing Expendables 3It appears Stallone wasn't able to secure Mel Gibson's services.
April 15, 2013:
Wesley Snipes Joins Expendables 3Meanwhile, Stallone continues to woo Mel Gibson to direct.
December 18, 2012:
Jackie Chan Says He's Up for Expendables 3As long as it isn't a cameo.
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