A Tale of Elder Action Stars Blowin Up Sh*t

Publish date: 2024-10-03

The Big Picture

The Expendables is the action movie throwback that is as tough to kill as its leading men. The next installment, Expend4bles, is out in theaters, and it’s been nearly a decade since we last saw this merry group of skilled killers on a mission. To help ease that large time gap, here is a recap of the original three movies, a series that calls back to the action flicks of the 1980s/1990s with an ensemble of old-school and current actors. Sylvester Stallone has been seen recently in a reality show about the Stallone family, but he’s part of a different kind of family in this franchise. Each of The Expendables has a standard setup, while adding onto the macho-infused mythology and delivering on loud, gory (for the most part), and grizzled heroes and villains.

‘The Expendables’ (2010)

The titular group of action heroes are mercenaries with a heart of gold. Sure, they use weapons that destroy the human body, but they save lives while doing it. In this first film, the team thwarts Somali pirates who have taken hostages. This opening rescue establishes how successful they are in their paid gigs, and how violent it goes, where many of the pirates will be hard to identify from their scattered pieces. It also establishes the competitive bromance between team leader and founder Barney Ross (Stallone) and right-hand man, knife specialist Lee Christmas (Jason Statham). Barney prefers shooting fast with his gun, whereas Christmas sees his knife can be just as accurate. The pirate mission doesn’t go exactly according to plan though, thanks to the unhinged Expendables member Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), who wants to hang a corpse. Yin Yang (Jet Li) attempts to disarm Gunner, and a rift forms between Gunner and the rest of the men. Rounding out the other members is weapons specialist Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), and demolitions expert Toll Road (Randy Couture), but that isn’t the end to the “who’s who” of actors featured.

Mickey Rourke shows up as Tool, a tattoo artist and ally. Arnold Schwarzenegger is Trench, a petty rival to Barney. Bruce Willis is the mysterious Mr. Church, a CIA operative who won’t take “no” as an answer from The Expendables. Then there is Eric Roberts as Munroe, an ex-CIA agent who wants to be a puppet master for dictator General Garza (David Zayas). As their name implies, the elite band of killers is hired for clandestine operations that no one else can or wants to do. When it comes to Barney Ross, there are two things to know about this leader: he takes care of his team with intense loyalty, and he never goes anywhere without his lucky skull ring, a piece of jewelry that could tear your lip if punched.

Barney and Christmas go undercover to Vilena, a small South American island, where they get help from their point of contact, the dictator’s daughter Sandra (Giselle Itié). The two Expendables are found out and forced to make a quick escape, but with Sandra left behind to face the wrath of the corrupt CIA agent, Barney’s conscience gets the better of him. There’s a little problem back at home base in New Orleans before any return trip to Vilena, as Gunner has gone off the deep end, joining Munroe’s team to hit back at his old team, which is the only way he knows how to vent his frustrations at getting kicked out. He’s wounded, but he survives. After that hiccup, Barney leads his men to Vilena, where there is powerful gunfire, necks broken with high kicks, and a lot of crap blown up. Sandra is saved, and Munroe is killed. The team heads home where they wash the blood off, accept Gunner back on the team, and ride off on their motorcycles to the song that could befit these men, “The Boys Are Back in Town,” by Thin Lizzy.

'The Expendables 2' (2012)

The sequel begins like a standard mission, but it quickly turns into a revenge tale. Mr. Church is back, seeking out Barney to accomplish a new task. The team is joined by two new faces: CIA agent Maggie (Yu Nan) and new recruit, expert sniper Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth). The group travels to retrieve a mysterious item and once they retrieve it, the day spirals out of control. Billy is held hostage, and the rest of the Expendables are unable to do anything as they are all at the mercy of Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme), leader of the deadly mercenary group, the Sangs. He demands the mysterious item The Expendables have found and after getting it, he is unimpressed with Billy’s lack of fear, so he roundhouse kicks a knife into the young man’s heart. A small moment of grieving among the team leads to Barney announcing a new mission: “Track him, find him, kill him."

The Expendables learn from Maggie that the mysterious item is a computer that reveals the location of a hidden Soviet Union-era mine filled with plutonium. If it gets into Vilain’s hands, yeah, that won’t be good. The team follows up on leads, taking shelter in an abandoned Russian military base before they’re ambushed by the Sangs. Suddenly, gunfire takes care of the enemies and Booker (Chuck Norris) takes credit, a Western score playing as he approaches out of thin air. He clears up some rumors Barney heard, he does work solo, and he survived a King Cobra bite: “But after five days of agonizing pain...the cobra died.”

Soon, the team enacts their own ambush on Vilain, the climactic fight ushering in the main and supporting players. Chuck friggin’ Norris blasts off at the remaining Sangs. Trench arrives to help, with Arnold Schwarzenegger tearing off a car door as if it was made out of tinfoil. Barney takes brutal punches and kicks from Vilain, but one of his men is dead, which he won’t let go unpunished. Barney whips a chain around Vilain’s throat, pulling him right into a knife. Another mission complete, with plenty of carnage only The Expendables know how to unleash.

'The Expendables 3' (2014)

The past haunts the macho crew in this follow-up, the lone entry to be rated PG-13, meaning the violence is noticeably toned down. The story picks up as Barney and the team rescue the imprisoned Doctor Death (Wesley Snipes), a knife specialist, medic, and former Expendables member. While getting him free isn’t too difficult, the problems arise when Barney brings everyone to the next part of the mission, where he spots a man he thought (and hoped) was dead. Weapons dealer Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson) is a co-founder of The Expendables, and he is just as pissed for almost dying as Barney is for not killing him the first time around. Both men vow to make sure the next chance they have, it will be a fight to the death with only one victor. But Barney doesn’t hunt Conrad down with his old team, as he fears losing them like what happened to several members from the past. Distancing himself and pretty much firing the movie’s OG characters, Barney sets out to put together a new, younger team, mixing up the movie’s formula while doing so.

Of the older actors who enter this third outing, there’s Harrison Ford as a new CIA operative who wants a mission done and done right. Kelsey Grammer shows up to help Barney find the best recruits. Galgo is played by a hyperactive, eager-to-please Antonio Banderas, who will do anything if it means he can join the revamped Expendables, and eventually, Barney is annoyed enough to let him in. Of the younger faces who prove their worth: Smilee (Kellan Lutz), a former Marine; the skilled hacker Thorn (Glen Powell); fighter Luna (Ronda Rousey); and sharpshooter Mars (Victor Ortiz). But Conrad is more ruthless and conniving, as he escapes from being captured and nearly kills Barney, then kidnaps the young recruits to be used as hostages. This leaves Barney to rely on Galgo, Trench, and the return of his old team. The recruits are rescued while Barney and Conrad seek out their showdown, where it shouldn’t be too surprising that Conrad is the one who ends up dead. For good this time! Like the past adventures with these guys, they celebrate another survival with a cold beer.

For a while, that was their ending, but now it’s time for the next mission with Expend4bles, which is once again rated R, assuring audiences The Expendables will be destroying the human anatomy of their enemies in grisly triumph.

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