Have to say, this film was a very happy surprise. Is it silly? At times, over the top? Unbelievable? Of course…But it’s also, thanks to director, Patrick Hughes (‘Red Hill’) and screenwriters, Stallone, Creighton Rothenberger & Katrin Benedikt extremely entertaining, filled with lots of humor and killer action scenes.
Okay first let’s talk about the cast…
At the beginning of the film, in one of the best edge-of-your-seat, action scenes, we meet what’s left of the original Expendables… founder, Barney Ross, (Sylvester Stallone) his BFF, second in command, knife expert, Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Gunter Jensen, (Dolph Lungren) Toll Road (Randy Couture) and Hale Caesar (Terry Crews)
They are about to rescue former team member, Doc (Wesley Snipes) who’s been imprisoned in some country I never heard of, for the last 8 years. Needlessly to say, the mission is a success.
It takes Doc, a mere 24 hours, to be up and running. And I mean RUNNING. Okay, so here’s one of the many places you need to suspend belief, because, personally, I don’t know anyone who, after spending 8 years in a tiny cell, can leap from tall buildings and run across a speeding train, while dodging bullets from several automatic weapons.
That aside…After this amazing rescue, the team is immediately assigned another mission by their CIA handler, Max Drummer (Harrison Ford) Barney and his men, have to find and bring back alive, Conrad Stonebanks (Mel Gibson) Barney’s former partner and Expendables’ co-founder.
To say hearing this name shocks him, is an understatement, since Barney thought he killed Stonebridge, over a decade ago.
Not ony is Stonebanks very much alive, he’s also a very wealthy, ruthless, arms dealer, How bad is this dude, you might wonder? Well, The Hague wants to try him for war crimes. That’s how bad.
After their first attempt to capture Stonebanks fails and leaves veteran Expendable, Caesar, gravely wounded, Barney is forced to make one of the most difficult decisions of his life…
He retires his remaining crew and with the help of mercenary broker, Bonaparte, (Kelsey Grammar) recruits a group of youthful hotshots (Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Glen Powell and Victor Ortiz) to bring fresh energy and updated skills to the team.
Also along for the ride, is non other than the Terminator himself, Arnold Schwarznager, as well as Jet Li, and a scene stealing, Antonio Banderas, who plays Galgo, a former soldier, who talks incessantly and just wants someone/anyone to ‘like him’.
‘The Expendables 3’ in my opinion, is the best of the trilogy and an extremely fun ride. The film opens in theatres, Friday, August 14, 2014.
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