The Expendables Always Fired First

The Expendables

There was a time back in the 1980s when action movies where mainly about the action. There was very little social commentary; there were no “scrawny” everyman thrusted into a tough situation, etc. The action starts of the 80’s were buff men, and women, who would shoot first and ask questions later. Sure many of the films where packed with mindless violence, but they still provided a level of escapist fare that audience craved. It was a time when things were clear cut, the good guys were good and the bad guy ended up dead. It is this testosterone filled era that Sylvester Stallone wants to recapture in his film The Expendables.

Directed by Stallone, The Expendables (Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Dolph Lundgren, and Terry Crews) are a group of elite mercenaries who are hired to assassinate a corrupt military General, Gaza (David Zayas). While doing recon for the mission Barney Ross (Stallone) and Lee Christmas (Statham) happen upon the general’s daughter, Sandra (Giselle Itié), who is involved in the rebel movement to overthrow her father. At first, Barney and Lee do not want to get involved with the political issues of the South American country. Yet when the American, James Munroe (Eric Roberts), funding General Gaza’s coup abducts Sandra, Barney and the rest of The Expendables attempt a rescue mission that they might just cost them their lives. 

Featuring an abundance of new and former action starts, The Expendables is a film that delivers on the testosterone. The picture features enough explosions and fight scenes to entertain even the most casual of action fans. This is thanks in part to two well choreographed fight sequences. The first is the David versus Goliath battle between Li and Lundgren. While the other is the all out brawl between Stallone and Steve Austin’s aptly named character Paine. Still, even with these action-packed moments it is tough not to leave the film a bit disappointed.

The primary reason for this is that the overall balance of power is uneven. All of the “big name” action stars are all on one team. The only villains capable of matching them, from a physical standpoint, are Steve Austin and, to a lesser extent, Gary Daniels. Eric Roberts and David Zayas are merely there to bring a little credibility to the film’s acting credentials. While it is widely known that Jean Claude Van Damme turned down a role in the film, there are still a slew of other action starts that could have filled out the villain side nicely. Guys like Billy Blanks, Sammo Hung, and Steven Segal, etc. Frankly they could have made Mickey Rouke a villain as his character really does not do much in the film.

The increased muscle on the villain side would have saved the film, and audiences, from having to endure the Austin/Couture fight scene. Randy Couture has no scene presence in his battle with Steve Austin. It is not only dull, but it also takes the shine off of the fun Stallone/Austin encounter that happens ten minutes earlier. It is not even like this type of film can be redeemed by its acting. The performances are subpar, but what else would you expect from this type of film? The only character that really stood out was Dolph Lundgren’s Gunner Jensen. Lundgren brings the right mix of testosterone and over-the-top acting to keep the first half of the film moving. Although The Expendables barely achieves its goal of being a mindless action flick, I am hoping Stallone makes a sequel to this film. The Expendables really need fight villains their own size in order for the film to truly be the action extravaganza Stallone wants it to be.

Man Advertises More Than His Irons

Iron Man 2

There was a moment in the middle of Iron Man 2 where I thought to myself “man, this feels like an origins film and not a sequel.” Instead of taking me on a new journey with the characters I loved in the first film. This particular film felt like it was trying to give me a Coles Notes version in preparation for a course I never signed up for. In short, Iron Man 2 tries hard to recapture the magic of the first film while also trying to promote the upcoming The Avengers movie. Unfortunately is falters on both fronts.

Tony Stark has just told the world that he is the superhero Iron Man and his life is about to get more complicated. A local senator, Stern (Garry Shandling), and a corporate rival, Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), are pressuring Stark to share his technology with the government. S.H.I.E.L.D. agents Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) and Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) are keeping tabs on Tony for their Avengers initiative. Stark is also struggling to keep his health issues hidden from his closest friends, Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) and James Rhodes (Don Cheadle). If all this was not stressful enough, a Russian by the name of Ivan Venko has made it his personal mission to destroy both Tony Stark and his legacy.

Now I understand that The Avengers film is a very ambitious project that has the potential to be a huge windfall for both Marvel and the film industry in general. Yet at some point the line needs to be drawn between marketing and product. Half of Iron Man 2 feels like one big advertisement for a movie that will not be out until 2012! If you take away the S.H.I.E.L.D. stuff (e.g. Nick Fury, Black Widow, Stark Sr., etc.), there is nothing really left in way of story. Either call the film an Avenger’s prequel or stick to including teasers for The Avengers at the end of the closing credits. The teasers shown at the end of the original Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, and even Iron Man 2, have all done a great job of building up anticipation for The Avengers film

Iron Man 2 would have been better served without The Avengers tie-in, and with more focus on developing interesting characters like Ivan Venko (aka. Whiplash). Yes, though the themes are similar, the character of Whiplash is different in the film than he is in the comics; but that did not bother me on bit. I thought casting Mickey Rouke as Venko was a brilliant move. It is shame that director Jon Favreau did not but more faith in Rouke’s abilities. Instead of fleshing out the character of Ivan Venko more, Favreau opts to give more screen time to the annoying one-note character, Justin Hammer. Venko is treated like a meathead henchman for the majority of the film. He barely gets any significant lines of dialogue. Yet it is obvious, to us and to Tony, that Venko and Stark are more intellectual equals than Stark and Hammer are.

While Whiplash may work as a secondhand character in the comics, it does not translate the same in a two hour movie. Hammer is not as interesting on the big screen as he is in the comics. Frankly I found that Rockwell went from amusing to downright annoying by the end of the film. The Whiplash/armored wars storyline is being sold as the main event yet it did not even feel like the mid-level card. Not only is Whiplash second to Justin Hammer’s arc, but he also falls behind Stark’s health issues, the avengers stuff, and the ridiculous War Machine arc.

As mindless summer movies go, Iron Man 2 is not the worst thing to hit theatres. If anything it is just really disappointing after the success of the original picture. Robert Downey Jr. is the main reason that the film is even watchable. Similar to the first film, Downey Jr. brings a nice balance of swagger and humanity to the role of Tony Stark. His interactions with Rouke, including the fight scene towards the end, are easily the best moments in the entire picture. I can only hope that the upcoming Thor and Captain America movies are more than just one long The Avenger trailer.

Movie Marketing Monday

Movie Marketing Monday looks at the movie trailers and/or posters that caught my eye recently.


Salt

Angelina Jolie in a summer action flick. Do I really need to say more?




The Expendables

Yes this movie looks bad, but just take a moment to think about the casting. Where else are you going to see Stallone, Li, Statham, Willis, Lungdren, Rouke, and Arnold in the same film? If only they could have gotten Van Damme in the film...