The Expendables Movie Review

The Expendables rated R (very violent)

Summary – Sylvester Stallone leads a group of mercenaries who end up battling a dictator and his troops in the fictional small island nation of Vilena. All star cast including two very cool cameos (by Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis). Very violent, very loud movie. Did I mention that this movie was violent?

Rating -I give this movie 3 out of 5 gas cans – Enjoyable and worth seeing in the theater…If you enjoy action movies and are okay with lots of intense violence.

My Favorite Quote- ” ‘What’s his problem’? ‘He wants to be President.’ ”

My Favorite Sequence – Seeing Sylvester, Arnold and Bruce in the same scene trading quips and threats! I did like the 80’s – www.ilovethe80s.com (both the movies www.fast-rewind.com and the music ) and it was cool to see John McClane, John Rambo and the Terminator in the same movie in the same brief scene.

Go see this movie with – Someone who is comfortable with considerable violence and blood who was a fan of 80’s action movies.

Other reviews you might find helpful – Claudia Puig USA Today – www.usatoday.com/life/movies/reviews/-expendables and Frank Tabouring screeninglog.com – www.screeninglog.com/movie-review-the-expendables

Few thoughts-

The Expendables opened the same day as Eat Pray Love. No way I could review Eat Pray Love and overlook a Sylvester Stallone movie. I am already being told that at my next Westward Brothers meeting that I will lose my man card due to my 2 Eat Pray Love blog posts. www.goodlifebookreviews.com eat-pray-love-book review and stevenshomler.com/eat-pray-love-movie-review

FYI -Westward Brothers is a men’s group/movement I am am part of that exists to help men pursue Mature Manhood ,Wholerness and become the man, God longs for them to be – lots of immature broken males out there who are open to getting encouragement, support and honest feedback from other men. Hopefully reviewing this movie will help me keep a hold of my man card!

The opening sequence of The Expendables sets the tone. Stallone and his mercenaries battle modern day pirates in the Gulf of Aden. I liked the first few minutes of this movie and then the loud mayhem and carnage started.

At one point before The Expendables had opened in the theaters and before I knew much about it, I had talked with my 13 year old son Zac, about seeing it with me when it came out.

Zac and I spent a few weeks together, just the two of us, this summer. Mom and Zac’s bother and sister went to Grandma’s for part of their Summer break. Zac’s baseball team made Districts ands then State, so he stayed with me to be able to play with his team. During that time, Zac and I watched a number of 80’sd movies including the Rocky movies. I had thought “how cool to take Zac to see Stallone’s movie when it comes out”.

I was sooo glad that it did not work out for Zac to go with me to to see The Expendables. Due to the violence my kids will not be seeing this movie. If you have kids I highly recommend that you not expose them to this movie. Just my opinion, I am sure that I see and do things that raise your eyebrows as well!

I know that The Expendables took first place at the box office both the week it opened and the following week and so far it has done over 84 million. (source www.boxofficemojo.com). Those facts says something about our country…Just not sure what.

This movie does have a grueling water boarding torture scene. Sandra (played by Gisele Itie) gets water boarded. It’s one thing to read about this kind of torture…it’s another to see it depicted. For more on torture, see my note at the end of this post – www.goodlifebookreviews.com/inside-out-by-barry-eisler-book-review

All of that being said — things I did like in this movie –