The Expendables 3 (2014)

If you’d ask me about movies where the Testosteron levels are high I’d probably come up with movies like 300 and this movie series. They are the type of film where the ingredients are simple: action and violence. Primal instincts. Even thought the men in the Expendables 3 aren’t the youngest ones, this doesn’t mean they take it easy to enjoy their old age. Even though I wasn’t too impressed with both the first and second movie I still enjoy seeing these actors on screen. For a couple of them I still check out each new movie they are in (Schwarzenegger, Stallone and Statham). Do they manage to impress in this third outing?

The movie opens in a spectacular fashion, trying to free a prisoner who is on board of a moving train using a helicopter. It immediately throws you head first in to the action (including the humour which comes with these type of movies) and introduces the first new addition to the Expendables team, Doc (Wesley Snipes). The story this time is all about neutralising a dangerous weapons dealer (played by Mel Gibson) where Barney Ross (Stallone) isn’t willing to expose his team to more danger and decides to start searching for new blood.

This is a very risky move by Stallone because people come to see and Expendables movie for the action stars they grew up with during the eighties and nineties, not some relatively unknown group of actors. Looking at all the recognisable names already attached to the movie it is already difficult to give them all enough screen time (some don’t get enough, like Dolph Lundgren and Jet Li) and the new actors didn’t do much for me. Maybe this is done to prepare for a spinoff, but based on what I saw them do in this movie I would not head to the cinema for that.

Apart from the fresh faces some veteran actors also have been added to the lineup. Harrison Ford replaces Bruce Willis (who got kicked out of the movie by Stallone because he was “greedy and lazy” (as he sent out in a tweet)), Kelsey Grammer is a fun addition and Antonio Banderas is there to provide the most laughs. I read many reviews which criticise the fact that the movie doesn’t have an “R” rating and lacks bloody moments, but I didn’t have an issue with this at all. Expendables 3 is (expect the part where Stallone is searching for a younger team) very enjoyable and has many winks to the past of the various actors. Just with the previous two movies you know in advance what you can expect and The Expendables 3 delivers that well enough.