The Expendables

 The Expendables 

Probably the genre of films that goes through the most changes the most often, is the Action genre. Why does this happen? It can be a reflection of the times we live in, the advancement in special effects, or whoever happens to be King at the Box Office when it comes to Action movies. 

Since the late 1980’s, there have been a handful of Action Tough Guys to grace the silver screen. Each of them had their own style and brand of action, but for the most part, were muscular guys with thick accents. 

It began with Sylvester Stallone, who broke onto the scene with "Rocky" in 1976. Writing and starring in the independent film about a boxer from the slums of Philadelphia, it went on to become a classic. Then in the 80’s Stallone gave way to another iconic character he would play over three decades – Rambo, with the movie "First Blood". A former Vietnam War Vet who stays behind and gets roped into special missions. 

Also in the early 80’s, a director no one knew about called James Cameron was making a movie about a killer robot from the future. Changing his mind on his original casting choice of OJ Simpsons, Cameron went with Austrian body builder Arnold Schwarzenegger, also new to the movie scene. He donned the sunglasses, said “I’ll be back” and movie history was made with "The Terminator".

In the late 80’s, a new kind of action film was being made starting an actor from a light-hearted mystery/crime show called “Moonlighting” The film in question would be about an off-duty police officer in his wife’s office building, as it gets taken over by terrorists on Christmas Eve. He slips away undetected and single handedly takes each terrorist down, relying just on his wits and wisecracks. Bruce Willis stepped into the role of John McClane in “Die Hard” and showed the Everyman could also be an action hero, and launched his own long, solid career in the process.

Tip-toeing around these three juggernauts of action movies were guys like Dolph Lundgren, Jean Claude van Damme, Steven Seagal, and more in the late 90’s and early 00’s, martial arts masters like Jackie Chan and Jet Li. 

But in 1999, one movie came out of nowhere that would change action films forever. If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you probably know the film I’m referring to. “The Matrix” took action, special effects, fight scenes and the high concepts to all new heights and beyond, and almost overnight the future landscape of action films – and its most iconic stars – were forever changed. Add to that surprise problem that the heroes mentioned above were starting to age, and as action movies became mmore about the setting and the situation (and less about the star), casting dramatic actors or even comedians as the lead was the new norm; muscles and thick accents were no longer required. 

As action movies changed in the early 00's, Schwarzenegger bowed out (temporarily) and became Governor of California. Stallone’s career stalled, so he took a break and played golf for a few years. Bruce Willis continued to do alright, as he had developed some dramatic acting chops, but the Two Titans of Action films – Stallone and Schwarzenegger - weren’t ready to hang up their guns and grenades just yet. 

Sylvester Stallone is truly one of Hollywood’s greatest success stories. If you want to be inspired by the power of determination and persistence, read up about his struggles to get the original Rocky movie made. Initially taking acting lessons to help with his speech, Stallone always had a love for cinema. He even worked as an usher at a local movie theatre, and in his spare time started to write a script for a movie about local boxer who hits the big time. He was so determined the script would be his way into the industry, he approached every movie producer he could. They all liked the script, but didn’t want to cast Stallone in it due to his speech, his smaller size and that no one knew who he was. However, Sly persisted and did not give in to the Hollywood Honcho’s. Rocky was his character and his ticket. He was so broke at one point, he even had to sell his dog just to pay for food and rent, until finally a producer agreed to make the movie on Stallone’s terms. He was credited with the screenplay, cast in the lead role as Rocky Balboa, and the film went on to become a huge success. It helped Stallone claim the title of the "Underdog of the Movies", and that’s been his theme ever since, just as much as Schwarzenegger’s’ theme has been Coming Back, again, and again, and again… 

“The Expendables” might not have ever happened if it wasn’t for Liam Neeson agreeing to make a French Action film in 2008, called “Taken”. It was such a surprise in every way, that it showed audiences and filmmakers that ageing actors could still kick and punch it with their younger counterparts, and Stallone had an idea. He had already reinvigorated his two most famous characters in 2006 with “Rocky Balboa” and in 2007’s “Rambo”. Two solid films, both of which he directed and starred in on the other side of sixty, proving he could still act, fight and direct. With his colleagues ageing just as quickly as him, but the taste for the iconic classic action of the 80’s and 90’s back in demand,  audiences were growing tired of high concept, high flying, special effects driven action films. Stallone assembled his pals, to make the film every 20 and 30 something had dreamed about. 

The Expendables would star;

Sylvester Stallone

Jason Statham

Jet Li

Dolph Lundgren

Terry Crews

Randy Couture

Mickey Rourke

Steve Austin

Bruce Willis

and, Arnold Schwarzenegger

When the film was announced, and the trailer dropped showing all our favourite action heroes in one film together, the Internet wet its pants in excitement. The buzz and anticipation for the film was huge, as it was clearly a return to hard-core action, stunt work, and our favourite heroes back on screen, all looking older and grey around the sideburns, but still kicking butt none the less. 

The story is about a group of mercenaries who call themselves The Expendable. Why? Because they take the jobs no other armed unit wants, and most of their jobs have a low survival rate. But what unties this close-knit group of six guys is their bond of brotherhood. Each of them come from the wrong side of the tracks, and even though they kill people for a living, they are all essentially good people. They kill to rid the world of evil, but in order to fight the bad guys, you’ve got to be a bad guy, and The Expendables look like a pack of criminals as they parade around on their Harley Davidsons, and sit around in tattoo parlours, smoking cigars and drinking tequila. Yeah, they’re badass!

One standout scene in the film that had never been witnessed in any movie was the bringing together of Stallone, Willis and Schwarzenegger all at once. Willis plays a mysterious confidant called Church, who has a job for Barney Ross (Stallone). Then in walks Trench (Schwarzenegger) a former colleague of Barney’s, but now leads his own operations. Trench turns down the job, but in this two-minute scene, the exchange of lines between these three icons of cinema is very entertaining. You’re not sure who’s going to come out on top of the conversation, as they all outwit and outsmart each other. But all in all, they get along and have respect for one another, despite the tough guy act. 

Charged with their mission to overthrow a small island of its rogue military leader, The Expendables really kicks in with a never-ending attack of awesome action scenes. Each actor in the film gets their moment to shine. Obviously, this is Stallone’s film as he wrote and directed it, but he knows his co-stars well, and works with their trademark moves and delivery of dialogue so it works as a tribute to their former status as action heroes, and also brings each of them into new territory. Jason Statham is solid here, as he is every film, continuing to prove himself as one of the most versatile action heroes in modern cinema. His unmistakable cockney English accent and lighting-like speed of kicking ass is matched with a softer side, as we explore his relationship with an on again-off again ex-girlfriend. Even Dolph Lundgren works his charm, playing Gunner; the torn and conflicted member of The Expendables with a thirst for vicious kills and a drug addiction that makes him a liability to the team. Given Lundgren usually played villains in his glory days of movies, he dances on that line here, but gets the chance to redeem himself. 

The Expendables was the perfect action movie of 2010, and of my generation in their 20’s and 30’s who grew up watching all the films of these guys a hundred times over. Looking back on their movies of the 80’s and 90’s, I liked them all for different reasons. Schwarzenegger’s Terminator franchise was above all else, but I also enjoyed Stallone in his typical underdog roles in films like “Demolition Man” and “Daylight”. Jason Statham was still fairly new on the scene in 2010, and I had seen and thoroughly enjoyed his “Transporter” films. And although Dolph Lundgren had a smaller repertoire of films and wasn’t as prominent as his counterparts, he stole the show in “Universal Solider” opposite Van Damme.

When all these guys are on screen at once, duking it out or shooting it out with a small army, disposing of them like flies, it’s the perfect mix of tough guy antics and a creative culmination of what made all of them so great in their own right. I bet the cast of the first, and even second and third Expendables films all love Stallone and worship the ground he walks on. For not only giving them all a chance to have one more crack at the big time, but to pay respect to what made them all unique and likeable in the first place. 

<<Return to List of Films