The Expendables 3 [2014]

With The Expendables a new franchise was started that harked upon the testosterone-fueled Holly action movies of 80s and 90s; The Expendables 2, which had 4 of the biggest superstars of their generation, viz. Sly, Arnie, Bruce and JCVD, didn’t just fulfill the wet dreams of many, it was also a fun watch despite the silly extravaganza on account of its self-deprecatory commentary on ageing hulks who have become relics of the past. The inevitable 3^rd part was mammoth given its jaw-dropping star-cast. The casting guy surely deserves a pat for having succeeded in getting together the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson, Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Jet Li and Jason Statham together, even if he missed out on Bruce Willis, Jackie Chan, Steven Seagal, Nicolas Cage and Clint Eastwood. Unfortunately, the maxim ‘Bigger the Better’ doesn’t generally hold merit, and that was on laughable display here. When Barney Ross (Stallone), the leader of the titular mercenary group that is hired by CIA to do their dirty jobs, learns that comrade-turned-foe Conrad (Gibson), now an international arms dealer, is the new target, he ludicrously decides to disband his current team of experienced professionals and form a new one comprising of greenhorns. As can be expected, his plan comes crashing down, and finally, in a gargantuan climactic battle, extended as much as possible in order to give screen-times to all, everyone comes together to fight the villain and his army. Unsurprisingly, none of the ‘good’ guys are wounded or killed, and a one-on-one fight is there at the end to cap it all off. The sole noteworthy moment was the first sequence where the Expendables rescue a former member (Snipes) from a fortified running train.

Director: Patrick Hughes
Genre: Action
Language: English
Country: US