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The Expendables (DVD)

by Erin Free | January 11, 2011 11:09 | Edited January 11, 2011 11:20

"A rousing heart-starter from adrenalised beginning to barnstorming end, The Expendables is the hands-down pick of this year's action crop."

In the kind of move that could only have been pulled off by someone of his action hero status, Sylvester Stallone's audacious concept for The Expendables is a big, bold and brave one: namely, bringing together a squadron of big name action stars (many of whom got their start in the genre's boom period of the eighties) for a cinematic throwback to straight-ahead storytelling, savage fight scenes, perfectly executed explosions, and graphic violence. 

 

Thankfully, The Expendables worked from concept right through to execution. On top of that, it was a box office hit, proving that there's still a big audience out there for films that do things in the traditional, old school way. Sure, the critics pissed and moaned, but really, who cares what they think, right?

 

Stallone is Barney Ross, the hard-man leader of a gang of mercenaries played by the badass likes of Brit action man Jason Statham, martial arts maestro Jet Li, former wrestler Randy Couture, man-mountain Terry Crews, and bad boy Dolph Lundgren. Through their tattoo artist handler, Tool (Mickey Rourke, who delivers an aria of raw emotion in one surprisingly moving scene), they're put in touch with a shady government type (Bruce Willis in an amusing cameo) who wants them to take out the dictator of a small island nation who is having his strings unceremoniously pulled by a rogue CIA agent (a fully committed Eric Roberts is brilliantly malevolent in the film's stand-out turn). Cue inventive action sequences, one-liners, and a rapidly escalating body count.

 

If ever there was a film that you could safely label "critic proof", it's The Expendables. Film snobs turned up their noses, but for action fans, this was close to a blood-smeared dream come true. As co-writer/director, Stallone hits the perfect tone here with a propulsive, highly entertaining actioner that skates away from parody while never taking itself too seriously. He also cleverly manages to give the entire cast ample screen time, distributing memorable beats in equal measure, and getting rock solid, genre-appropriate performances in return. He even now famously managed to pull in Arnold Schwarzenegger for a brief cameo!

 

While employing a few too many modern action flick techniques (CGI blood spray and beheadings; excessively hectic editing), Stallone also has the sense to keep things in line with the eighties vintage of his cast. The plot is enjoyably uncluttered and straight-down-the-line (even bearing resemblance to the 1985 genre classic Commando), and the characters are pumped up without lurching into cartoon territory.

 

Despite its gold-plated action credentials, there's a little humility at work in The Expendables too, which adds immeasurably to its steroid-inflected charm. A rousing heart-starter from adrenalised beginning to barnstorming end, The Expendables is the hands-down pick of this year's action crop.

 

With regards to the DVD special features, the distributors have unfortunately taken the let's-put-all-the-goodies-on-the-Blu-ray-and-just-drop-a-few-crumbs-on-the-DVD approach. While the premium priced Blu-ray boasts featurettes galore, a commentary, and much more, the DVD only has a collection of EPK-style interviews which are, admittedly, highly enlightening. Not surprisingly, the thoughtful, erudite Sylvester Stallone has the most to offer, talking at length on the film's serious subtext about the CIA's involvement with drugs, his casting decisions, and the film's themes.

 

"I wanted to make a film about men who are kind of out of sync with the world," says Stallone. "Something like The Wild Bunch. I wanted these guys to have a code, which is unusual, because codes now have been reduced to zip codes. So we have some very unusual, one-off guys. They're more comfortable on the battlefield than they are on the bus ride home. I'm hung up on the theme of redemption too, but the main thing that the film is saying is that you've got to have friends. Loneliness is the most dangerous weapon there is."

 

The rest of the actors interviewed don't quite hit Stallone's level of thoughtfulness, but they're all obviously excited about the film, and their roles in it. Terry Crews probably best describes what the experience was like for his co-stars. "It was like being asked to join The Justice League Of America or The Super Friends," he laughs. "This is a dream team."