It has taken nine years for Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren and the Expendables crew to reunite for another mission. But after such a long break, not to mention multiple directorial and casting changes, is the crew still able to prove their worth or are they nearing their expandability?
Marking the fourth instalment in the franchise, Expend4bles sees Stallone, Statham, Lundgren and Randy Couture reprising their roles as elite mercenaries, whose latest assignment is to take down terrorist Suarto Rahmat (The Raid‘s Iko Uwais) before he unleashes World War III.
The combination of terrorism and a link to Barney’s (Stallone) past forms the basis of an unimaginative storyline, which quickly establishes a sense of predictability amid a swift series of questionable creative decisions. These range from bad edits and a poor narrative structure, which hinder the film’s direction from the outset. From the get-go, Expend4bles shoots itself in the foot – with a rocket launcher.
While similar franchises such as Mission: Impossible and Fast & the Furious have gone from strength to strength, the Expendables series has always suffered from a reliance on its long-standing stars that deny newcomers a chance to shine. After three mixed though financially successful films, Expend4bles continues this detrimental trend, The majority of the film depends on the shoulders of second-in-command Lee Christmas (Statham), who takes on a more physical role in leading the team. Nonetheless, the bulk of the narrative mostly follows his journey instead of highlighting the group effort to stop Rahmat – this reinforces the reluctance to break out of the franchise’s worn-out formula and promote its roster of ever-changing talent, which has evolved from highlighting 1980s and 1990s action stars to more diverse casting, with varied results.
Gone are the hard hitters of Hollywood such as Schwarzenegger, Willis, Norris and Li, who added a layer of nostalgia amid the action. Now, the crew is joined by rapper 50 Cent and Transformers star Megan Fox, who plays Christmas’s girlfriend Gina. Although their inclusion in the team shows some openness to change, they fail to make an impact through their dull performances and overshadow notable new cast members. The biggest casualties of this imbalanced casting are notably Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais, whose respective fight scenes remind action film fans how they destroyed the mould for modern martial arts films (by promoting Thai and Indonesian talent respectively). But in Expend4bles, they barely have any time to showcase their martial artistry on-screen and the golden opportunity to see them both fight against each other on-screen is wasted.
In addition, the series is so ingrained in its sexism that it is shocking that the collaborative screenwriting team of Kurt Wimmer, Tag Daggerhart and Max Adams does nothing to dilute it. There is a social media influencer livestreaming about which stunning woman he is going to sleep with (while rudely disrespecting them, only for the following confrontation to become one of the few genuinely funny scenes in the film). Not to mention, Fox is heavily objectified as arm candy rather than a supposed badass, especially as she engages in combat without an injury or a hair out of place. Needless to say, the Expend4bles’ priorities to the franchise’s established machismo remain outdated and problematic – regardless of whether the characters’ tough-guy banter is played for entertainment or comedy.
Fans expecting a high-octane action film may also be disappointed. Scott Waugh’s erratic direction and the flat screenplay do little to lift the Expend4bles‘ vapid narrative while the film’s extensive array of stunts and unrefined special effects do not reflect its hefty $100m budget. As a result, they just become an eyesore for the sake of shallow entertainment. Statham does his best to save the sinking ship, becoming a one-man army with a score to settle in the second half, driving a melee of close-quarter fight scenes and furious gun battles that are mildly entertaining. However, one man can only do so much.
There will be audiences that may appreciate the instalment’s gratuitous take on the no-holds-barred action but when it comes to ambition and critical acclaim, the Expendables franchise has consistently fallen short of the standard set (and exceeded) by similar franchises that have been longer for years. With such a dismal fourth instalment, it may be time to put the Expendables on ice.
Expend4bles is out in UK cinemas on Friday 22 September.
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Director: Scott Waugh; Kurt Wimmer, Tag Daggerhart, Max Adams (screenwriters)
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, 50 Cent, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Megan Fox, Andy Garcia, Randy Couture, Levy Tran, Jacobo Scipio
Runtime: 104 minutes
Country: USA
