Three movies in, and the “Expendables” franchise is starting to have a serious overcrowding problem. Apparently discontent with the already mile-high pile of beefcakes stacked up in “The Expendables 2,” series overlord Sylvester Stallone has stacked it even higher for “The Expendables 3,” and the pile’s beginning to wobble. The newbies are as follows: Wesley Snipes, Antonio Banderas, Kellan Lutz, Ronda Rousey, Glen Powell and Victor Ortiz make up the new Expendables recruits, Kelsey Grammer plays an old Expendables ally, Harrison Ford replaces money-grubber Bruce Willis as the CIA boss, and Mel Gibson is the villain. Add that entire bunch to the original Expendables -- all seven of them -- and you’ve got yourself one hell of a busy crowd. Which is not to say that a cast of this size can’t be done justice; Bryan Singer proved it possible earlier this year with his superhero ensemble “X-Men: Days of Future Past.” But under the direction of Patrick Hughes, much of the Expendables crew, with the notable exception of Stallone’s ever-present leader Barney Ross, end up disappointingly lost in the mix -- ask me to name anything Randy Couture or Dolph Lundgren do in the film and you will be met with a blank stare.
Still, cluttered though it may be, it’s a fun cast of faces fresh and familiar, and most of them give it their all in what limited screen-time they get. Snipes is the stand-out of the new recruits, his ex-Expendable Doctor Death rescued from imprisonment -- geddit? -- in the opening helicopter assault on a heavily guarded, armoured train. A loose cannon who likes to play with knives, he’s enjoyably nutty and intense, though after the opening 20 minutes he’s sadly given little to do. Banderas’ chatterbox mercenary Galgo is equal points lovably and loathsomely manic, with Banderas so springy and energetic he’s like an excited puppy in a woolly hat. And Kelsey Grammer lends dry humour as Bonaparte, who aids Barney in scouting new, younger members (among whom MMA fighter turned actress Ronda Rousey fares best, introduced as she kicks major ass while wearing a pair of stilettos).
But by far the highlight of the cast is Gibson, who’s at his dastardly best as Conrad Stonebanks, a thought-dead rogue Expendable turned ruthless arms dealer. Spotting him while on a mission, Barney embarks on a personal quest for vengeance against Stonebanks, who in turn vows to wipe out Barney and the rest of the Expendables. Gibson is delightfully smug and slimy, and he plays Stonebanks with a mad twinkle in his eye. He’s just hamming his way through the whole film: he’s a maniacal cackle or two away from sprouting horns from his forehead and growing a bright red, spade-tipped tail out of his backside -- though given his reputation as a person, it’s a surprise that hasn’t happened already.
As for the plot, it’s expectedly bare bones stuff, and it barely supports the overstretched 126-minute runtime. And the grand finale, a gigantic action set-piece which runs, leaps and explodes its way through an abandoned Russian complex, though it has its moments of fun, has far too much going on. But for the most part, this is enjoyable junk, with a likeable sense of humour about itself and a script made up almost entirely of banterous one-liners. For a brainless Friday-night diversion, it does the trick well enough, though Sly would do good to think about whittling down that cast for “The Expendables 4,” lest the pile finally topple over.
Rating: 6/10
No comments:
Post a Comment