The Expend4bles (2023)

Review: written Sept 2023

Bang Bang Stab Stab and not much else

I’ve considered the Expendables series somewhat of a guilty pleasure. The throwback to 80’s action movies had a nostalgia associated with it, even if the execution (or executions?) were competently rather than excitingly done. They might never have fully lived up to the hype, but at their best you admired the chutzpah enough to leave the cinema with a smile on your face.

Number 4 in the franchise was not particularly expected, and is definitely the weakest in the franchise. Instead of nostalgia for an earlier version of the action genre, we are reminded how reductive those movies became. There’s a reason they evolved.

So the gang are back, Stallone and Statham headlining, along with a few new additions – Iko Uwais (The Raid), Curtis “50 cent” Jackson and Megan Fox. The obligatory ‘special guest’ added this time is Andy Garcia. The movie starts out with Garcia sending the team on a mission which leaves Stallone being side-lined for much of the movie. The focus of the movie therefore shifts to Jason Statham for most of the movies running time, and he does a solid job of trying to inject some wit and charm into what is otherwise a frustratingly witless and charmless adventure. With some lip service paid to some wasted international locations, most of the latter half of the movie takes place in the uninspired setting of a cargo ship, with the tired and worn Maguffin of the movie being (Yawn) a nuclear bomb which threatens to start a war. Can our demoralised and fractious team save the day? Will they uncover the mole leaking their plans? Do we care by this point?

Action movies work when you feel thrilled and they put a smile on your face. There’s certainly plenty of athletically enacted death scenes with a myriad of weapons, if that is enough to satisfy you for a brainless couple of hours.. however the plot, action scenes and script here all lack the required inventiveness to keep you alert, and it has the turgid feel of a paycheck collecting exercise. The less said about the movies leering portrayal of its female characters the better.

The well of ideas for the Expendables is now clearly spent.