Film reviews
Men In Black 3
It’s not a sequel that needed to be made, but thanks to the charm of its leads and a tone that harks back to the wit and humour of the original, it’s a pretty enjoyable trip.
Bel Ami
The excellent female support cast saves this patchy effort, which is let down by its leading man and a flat screenplay.
The Dictator
A disappointing, often repulsive and mean-spirited mess of a film with seemingly only one real criterion on its agenda: to shock and offend.
The Woman In Black
Packed with atmosphere, this old-fashioned but deftly told ghost story delivers ample chills and thrills.
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The Expendables (Film)
Rating: MA
Running Time: 103
Country: USA
Director: Sylvester Stallone
Cast: Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham
Distributor: Roadshow
Release Date: August 12, 2010
Film Worth: $13.50
FILMINK rates movies out of $20 - the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worthGratuitous explosions, fight scenes and macho stars past and present, this is the pick of this year’s cluttered action crop.
Sylvester Stallone has had some great ideas during his long and winding career, the most impressive still being the creation of the seminal character Rocky Balboa. Coming a close second is his concept for The Expendables: namely, bringing together a crew of big name action stars (many of them grizzled, eighties stalwarts) for an old school bombardment of simple plotting, broad but entertaining characterisation, brutal fight scenes, large-scale explosions, and graphically hurled blood and guts. It was always, however, an idea that may have worked on paper without actually panning out as a big screen experience. Thankfully, The Expendables is just as good in execution as it is conceptualisation.
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), they're put in touch with a shady 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 pulled by a rogue CIA agent (Eric Roberts is brilliantly malevolent in the film's stand-out turn). Cue inventive action sequences 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 will already be turning up their noses, but for action fans, this is 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.
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 genre classic Commando), and the characters are pumped up without lurching into cartoon territory.
While also an obvious potential franchise starter, Stallone doesn't take the smug approach of recent, similarly themed actioners like The Losers and The A-Team by giving his film an open, sequel-lusting ending. 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.
