There are some other films worth checking out if you haven’t already… The Expendables, a muscular old-fashioned action yarn from writer/director/actor Sylvester Stallone, pits a singular group of mercenaries led by Stallone and action stalwarts such as Jet Li and Jason Statham, against a regime consisting of a corrupted ruler and an evil rogue operative, played with relish by Eric Roberts.
After a shaky opening action sequence which is almost shot as a video game, the film gets down to business with an abundance of well-staged action, a little philosophizing, and some welcome humor. Stallone gives each of the cast members a chance to do what he does best, and even stretch a little (Jet Li does humor and vulnerability, Mickey Rourke exudes warmth and a true spirit of camaraderie—and you can understand 100% of his dialogue, which is the real stretch). I’d catch the sequel…