Run time: 126mins Certificate: 12A
Director: Patrick Hughes
Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Antonio Banderas.
Release Date: August 14, 2014.
They’ll be back, and in greater number.
The Expendables are back for a third and ‘last’ ride (casting rumours for the fourth make this hard to believe however) that’s bumpy but offers enough to make it one worth going on. Striking a nice balance between the serious tone of the first and self aware humour of the second its a step in the right direction as the dramatics are handled well and the laughs are genuine. Its far from plain sailing however, the films pacing is haphazard and the plot throws up contradictions that seem to be in place purely to give us less of the original cast and more of the far less appealing newcomers. Its a shame to see proceedings hampered by a bloated roster and tame rating at every turn, but come the final act it certainly delivers enough to please fans of the franchise.
The plot that gives our grizzled heroes a reason to shoot things is the best of the franchise yet but also clunky at the same time. Audiences obviously won’t be picking apart its finer points, but the inconsistency with which it handles Stallone’s Barney Ross is distracting to a fault. The crux of the film sees him abandon his previous team reasoning that “they need to live their lives”, an admirable act befitting of the softy at heart Ross, but he then proceeds to recruit a team of far younger members to embark on a suicide mission. This might have been an interesting turn for the character to see him driven to hiring literal expendables, but its never handled in that way as he still ends up fathering his new team despite having hired them for a one way trip. This nonsensical turn from Ross leads to a slow second act bogged down by the least interesting recruitment montage in recent history. Luckily both the beginning and end fair much better thanks to the films newest additions; Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas and Mel Gibson.
Snipes fits into the team well as Doc, adding a new dynamic with his oddball musings. He steals almost every scene he’s in without hogging the spotlight, rather elevating the banter of the others. Its just a shame he’s underutilised (though to a lesser degree than others), being recruited in the opening scene only to be left behind until the action packed finale. Antonio Banderas soon establishes himself as the best thing in this film as he strolls into the later scenes, providing many genuine laughs with his unexpected turn as the enthusiastic Galgo who shares just as much passion for chatting as he does murdering. Gibson excels as the villainous Stonebanks, chewing up each scene with just enough crazy to make him formidable without being campy (his goading monologue in the back of a van is a particular highlight). Kelsey Grammer and Harrison Ford are wisely played to their strengths in what little screen time they’re given, Grammer doing his best to sell some old friends chemistry with Stallone in the aforementioned montage whilst Ford is relegated to escape pilot. The new expendables on the block (Powell, Ortiz, Rousey and Lutz) are all passable but fail to measure up against even the weaker Expendables veterans and lack the charisma to drive the films midsection even though they’re given a generous slice of the action.
While the new faces are given ample opportunity to shine, and many do, the established cast are unfortunately cast aside as a result. Stallone still convinces as the father figure of the expendables despite his unaddressed double standards but has few memorable moments or development despite very much maintaining his role as leading man. The same can be said of Statham’s Christmas as well, he gets a some action and a nice rivalry with Snipes’ fellow knife man, but is ignored far too much in favour of the new blood. Things are far worse for the rest of the roster however. Schwarzenegger is present far more this time round but is barely given anything to do, literally being left guarding the plane during one extended sequence and uttering a very telling “I’m so bored”. Crews, Lundgren and Couture all have fun during their brief moments but are so absent you’ll almost forget they were there during some of the overcrowded fire fights. What’s hardest to fathom however is Jet Li’s return as Yin Yang, turning up just before the finale simply to be the butt of a few bad jokes. Something has definitely gone wrong when you’re directing an action film and Jet Li doesn’t get to punch a single man.
Therein lies the main issue of The Expendables 3, its action. The banter can be stilted but there’s plenty of laughs to be found, but for an action film containing some of the greatest action stars you can’t help but feel they’re all being wasted. Most sequences, especially the finale, boil down to being montages of our numerous heroes shooting off screen. Only two scuffles remain memorable, Statham’s tussle with a stocky stock henchmen and Stallone and Gibson’s much looked forward to beat down. Even the latter disappoints, having had an apt build up and starting off strong it unfortunately ends all too soon.
Hampering all of these efforts are the special effects. Harrison Ford’s helicopter piloting looks laughable thanks to the dated CGI, he may as well have been in the Millennium Falcon. Likewise a quick jumping from one truck to another during an early car chase is cut all too close, turning what could have been a thrilling stunt into a blink and you’ll miss it cop out. Much of the action suffers from this quick and needlessly close cutting, turning some of the impressive physical fighter’s scenes into guessing games of whose throwing who. Last but not least is the questionable choice of making the film a 12A, something that clearly rips away the rawness of the action for the sake of catering for younger fans; a confusing agenda considering the film would largely appeal to original fans of the classic action stars.
Verdict
The Expendables 3 may be a step down for the series but there’s still enough for fans of the series to enjoy. The new faces both make and break the film; Snipes, Banderas and Gibson are all worth the price of admission but you’ll wish you could see more of them instead of the dull young guns. The problem with Sly’s latest is made painfully apparent as the cast all comically load into a chopper like clowns into a car, there’s too many players here, and the best suffer for the worst because of it. For the time being it entertains enough to warrant a fourth, but the cast needs to be whittled down and the action tightened if there’s any chance of this being the call back to their action classics the Expendables deserve.
Hits
+Banderas and Snipes make some of the best Expendables yet
+Gibson has a blast as the maniacal villain
+Plot drives the set pieces well despite nonsensical basing
Misses
–Fails to juggle huge cast, criminally shunning its best players
–The young recruits fail to measure up to the established stars
–Effects and camera work let down the action
Overall Rating
CRITICAL HIT REVIEWS 