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As of August 29, the film has made $84 million in the U.S. and $90 million in the international box office.<ref name="mojo" /><ref name="the-numbers">http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2010/XPNDB.php </ref>
As of August 29, the film has made $84 million in the U.S. and $90 million in the international box office.<ref name="mojo" /><ref name="the-numbers">http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2010/XPNDB.php </ref>

==Director's Cut==
It's been confirmed that a director's cut and a documentary entitled ''Inferno: The Making of The Expendables'' will be due out in six months.<ref>http://www.411mania.com/movies/news/151747/%5BMovies%5D-More-Expendables-On-The-Way?.htm</ref>


==Sequels==
==Sequels==

Revision as of 19:49, 4 September 2010

The Expendables
Nine armed men dressed in black standing shoulder to shoulder, Sylvester Stallone front and center.
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySylvester Stallone
Screenplay by
  • Sylvester Stallone
  • David Callaham
Story byDavid Callaham
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyJeffrey Kimball
Edited by
  • Ken Blackwell
  • Paul Harb
Music byBrian Tyler
Production
companies
Distributed byLionsgate
Release date
  • August 13, 2010 (2010-08-13)
Running time
103 minutes
CountryTemplate:FilmUS
LanguageEnglish
Budget$82 million[1][2]
Box office$175,803,493 (worldwide)[2][3]

The Expendables is a 2010 American ensemble action film written by David Callaham and Sylvester Stallone, and directed by Stallone. Filming began on March 28, 2009, in Rio de Janeiro, New Orleans, and Los Angeles, and the film was released on August 13, 2010.

The film is about a group of elite mercenaries, tasked with a mission to overthrow a Latin American dictator. It pays tribute to the blockbuster action films of the 1980s and early 1990s, and stars an array of action veterans from those decades, including Stallone, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger (the latter two in cameo roles), as well as more recent stars such as Jason Statham, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, and Steve Austin.

The film received mixed reviews from critics but was very successful commercially, opening at number one at the box office in the United States,[3] the United Kingdom[4] as well as China.[5]

Plot

A group of elite mercenaries, the Expendables, are deployed to the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia to halt local pirates from executing the hostages. The team consists of leader Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), former SAS soldier and blades specialist Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), martial artist Yin Yang (Jet Li), sniper Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), weapons specialist Hale Caesar (Terry Crews) and demolitions expert Toll Road (Randy Couture). Jensen instigates a firefight, causing casualties for the pirates. Yang and Jensen fight over moral disagreements about hanging a pirate, with Ross finally intervening. As a result of his psychological problems and drug use, Ross reluctantly releases Jensen from the Expendables.

Ross and his rival mercenary leader Trench (Arnold Schwarzenegger) visit a church to meet a man, simply named "Mr. Church" (Bruce Willis). Church offers them a mission in Vilena, a fictional island in the Gulf of Mexico, to overthrow a brutal dictator, General Garza (David Zayas). Busy with other things, Trench gives the contract to Ross. Meanwhile, Christmas visits his girlfriend, Lacy (Charisma Carpenter), whom he discovers has left him for another man. He leaves in a fit of rage, while Lacy insists her actions had occurred because she does not see Christmas often and does not even know what he does.

Ross and Christmas do initial reconnaissance after meeting with their contact, Sandra (Gisele Itié), only for the mission to go awry. Ross learns that Garza is backed by ex-CIA agent James Munroe (Eric Roberts) as well as his henchmen Paine (Steve Austin) and The Brit (Gary Daniels), who manipulate and keep Garza in power by making his people fear him. Sandra is revealed to be Garza's daughter. Ross decides to abort and causes casualties among the army as they escape, but they leave Sandra behind. Meanwhile, Jensen approaches Garza and Munroe to help their side.

Christmas visits Lacy again to find that her new boyfriend has beaten her. Christmas brutally beats him and his friends, showing Lacy what he does for a living and winning her over. Later, Ross, Christmas, and Yang deduce that Mr. Church is a member of the CIA and that the real target is Munroe, as the CIA could not kill one of their own. Ross meets mission coordinator and former teammate Tool (Mickey Rourke) to vent out his feelings of guilt. Tool makes an emotional confession to Ross about letting a woman commit suicide during the Bosnian War. Hearing this, Ross decides to go back for Sandra, telling Christmas and Yang he will do it alone. Yang however tags along; while driving they are chased on the road by Jensen in an intense shootout. The pursuit ends in an abandoned warehouse, where Yang and Jensen fight a second time. Jensen attempts to impale Yang on a pipe, only to be shot by Ross. A wounded Jensen makes amends and gives the layout of Garza's palace. Ross boards the plane with Yang and finds the rest of team, ready to aid their friend.

The Expendables infiltrate Garza's compound. Christmas, Yang, Caesar, and Toll plant explosive charges throughout the site. When Garza has a change of heart after Munroe tortures his daughter, Munroe kills him. The entire team fights and shoots their way through Garza's soldiers. Ross and Caesar manage to destroy the helicopter Munroe was to escape on. Christmas and Yang manage to kill The Brit while Toll kills Paine. Ross and Christmas catch up to Munroe and kill him, saving Sandra. Instead of taking the payment for the mission, Ross gives it to Sandra to restore Vilena. The team celebrates their victory at Tool's tattoo parlor, with the reformed and recovering Jensen. Christmas and Tool challenge each other to a game of knife throwing and Christmas recites a poem about his respect for Tool, before throwing the knife perfectly in the center of the board.

Cast

Stallone, Lundgren, Austin, Couture and Crews promoting The Expendables at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International.

Production

Film production began on March 3, 2009, with a budget of $82 million.[6] Filming commenced 25 days later in Rio de Janeiro and other locations in Brazil, including Mangaratiba, Niteroi, Guanabara Bay, Colônia Juliano Moreira and Parque Lage. Filming originally ended on April 25 but was continued on May 11, in Elmwood and New Orleans, Louisana, including the French Quarter, St. Peter Street, Fort Macomb, Claiborne Avenue and the Interstate 10 overpass. Filming officially ended on July 1, but on October 27 there was a pick-up scene at a church in Hollywood featuring Stallone, Schwarzenegger and Willis. On June 2, West Coast Customs Street Customs built three customized 1955 Ford F100s for Sylvester Stallone for the film. One was built for a crash scene, the second for green screen and the third for Stallone to keep. "The Expendables has a seventy million-dollar budget," says Stallone's co-star Dolph Lundgren, adding, "It's an old-school, kick-ass action movie where people are fighting with knives and shooting at each other."[7]

In summer 2010, Brazilian company O2 Filmes released a statement saying it was still owed more than $2 million US for its work on the film.[8]

Casting

Jean-Claude Van Damme was personally offered a role by Stallone, but turned it down because he felt there was no substance to the character.[9] Stallone said that Van Damme told him that he should "be trying to save people in South Central."[10] Dolph Lundgren was then cast as Jensen.

The role of Hale Caesar was initially conceived as a role for Stallone's Demolition Man co-star Wesley Snipes, but later rewritten for Forest Whitaker.[11] Due to a scheduling conflict prior to filming, Whitaker was then replaced by 50 Cent[12] before the part of Hale Caesar finally went to former NFL player Terry Crews.[13]

Steven Seagal was asked to make a cameo appearance, but turned down the offer due to negative experiences with producer Avi Lerner.[14]

By May 2009, the script had undergone a number of rewrites. Stallone's Demolition Man co-star Sandra Bullock was rumored to have a role in the film, but revealed that she did not even know about the project. Despite the news, she did express interest in working in another action film and would have liked to appear in the film, depending on the storyline.[15]

The role of the man who hires the Expendables, Mr. Church, was difficult to cast. Schwarzenegger was offered that role, but instead appeared as fellow mercenary leader Trench.[16] The role was then offered to Kurt Russell, whose agent replied that he was not interested in "ensemble acting at the moment."[17] Stallone spent several months after principal photography determined to find a big action name for the part. Rumors suggested that the role had been offered to friend and fellow former Planet Hollywood co-owner Bruce Willis, who was busy filming Cop Out. Willis's casting as Mr. Church was confirmed by August 2009, as was the fact that he would appear in a scene with both Stallone and Schwarzenegger.[18]

Music

Untitled

Composer Brian Tyler announced on his official website that he had been hired to write original music for the film.[19] Tyler previously worked with Stallone on Rambo in 2008.

The American hard rock band Shinedown contributed a brand new track, recorded specifically for the movie, which is also used in the theatrical trailer. The song, entitled "Diamond Eyes (Boom-Lay Boom-Lay Boom)", was released on June 15, 2010.[20] One of the alternate trailers uses the song "Paradise City" by Guns N' Roses.[21] The song "The Boys Are Back in Town" by Thin Lizzy also played in TV spots and is played over the credits.[22]

The score for the film was released on August 10. The tracklists have been revealed.[23]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Brian Tyler

The Expendables: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
No.TitleLength
1."The Expendables"3:22
2."Aerial"2:58
3."Ravens And Skulls"4:49
4."Lee And Lacy"2:15
5."Massive"3:24
6."The Gulf Of Aden"6:56
7."Lifeline"4:29
8."Confession"2:56
9."Royal Rumble"3:41
10."Scanning The Enemy"3:47
11."The Contact"1:31
12."Surveillance"3:27
13."Warriors"3:49
14."Trinity"4:19
15."Waterboard"3:01
16."Losing His Mind"2:37
17."Take Your Money"2:41
18."Giant With A Shotgun"3:57
19."Time To Leave"1:55
20."Mayhem And Finale"5:47

Release

The film had an original scheduled release date set at April 23, 2010, but was later pushed back four months until August 13, to extend production time.[24] On March 17, 2010, the official international poster for the film was released.[25]

A promo trailer (aimed at industry professionals) was leaked online in August 2009.[26][27] Sometime in October, nearly two months after the promo trailer was leaked, it was officially released online. The promo trailer was edited by Stallone and it was shown at the Venice Film Festival. On April 1, 2010, the official theatrical trailer for the film was released. The film had its red carpet Hollywood premiere on August 3, 2010. The grand premiere of the film was held at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on August 10, 2010.

Reception

Critical response

The critical reaction to The Expendables has been mixed. The film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes shows that 40% of critics gave the film a positive review based upon reviews by 164 critics.[28] At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the film has received a mean score of 45%, based on 35 reviews.[29]

Some reviews praised the film highly. The Hollywood Reporter said that "the body count is high and the personalities click in this old-school testosterone fest,"[30] and Boxoffice Magazine stated that "it's filled with literally explosive excitement" and that "a who's who of classic action stars light up the screen for pure combustible entertainment in Sly Stallone's The Expendables, a sort of Dirty Dozen meets Inglourious Basterds—and then some…"[31] Richard Corliss of TIME Magazine added that "what you will find is both familiar in its contours and unique in its casting."[32] Peter Paras of E! Online said that the movie is "peppered with funny dialogue, epic brawls and supersize explosions," and that "The Expendables is the adrenaline shot the summer of 2010 needs,"[33] and the Boston Globe stated that the film is "a lot of unholy fun".[34]

Some highly negative reviews appeared, in The New York Post Lou Lumenick labeled it "the brain-dead male equivalent of Sex and the City 2",[35] and in The New Yorker, Anthony Lane called it "breathtakingly sleazy in its lack of imagination".[36] Peter Travers, writing for Rolling Stone, said, "Stallone forgets to include non-spazzy direction, a coherent plot, dialogue that actors can speak without cringing, stunts that don't fizzle, blood that isn't digital and an animating spirit that might convince us to give a damn."[37] Claudia Puig, writing the review for USA Today, summed the film up as a "sadistic mess of a movie".[38]

Mickey Rourke's performance was given special recognition by some critics. In the Chicago Tribune, Michael Phillips said, "Rourke delivers a monologue about his time in Bosnia, and the conviction the actor brings to the occasion throws the movie completely out of whack. What's actual acting doing in a movie like this?"[39] Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle also praised Rourke for the same scene, stating, "He's amazing…a great actor."[40]

Box office

The film made its US debut at 3,270 theaters with approximately 4,300 screens, which earned it the #10 spot on the list of the 'Biggest Independent Releases of All Time' at Box Office Mojo [41] and the #16 spot on their list of top opening weekends for August.[42] It earned $34.8 million in its opening weekend and took the #1 position in the U.S. box office.[43] On the day of its release, the film earned $13.3 million in sales, exceeding the $9.7 million sum from the debut of the last previous summer action film The A-Team.[44]

Brandon Gray of Box Office Mojo has stated that the film "took a commanding lead in its debut", compared to competing films Eat Pray Love and Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.[44] Ben Fritz of The Los Angeles Times stated that the "over-the-top shoot-'em-up'" opened to a "very strong" reception. As well, he described it as "a crowd-pleaser even if critics didn't take to it."[1] Research by Lionsgate found that between 38% and 40% of the film's viewers were female. The results were unexpected, for a film thought to have limited appeal to female filmgoers.[1][45]

The film did well in China, opening at number one.[5] Despite several new contenders,[46] The Expendables remained at the top position in the U.S. box office during its second weekend, earning a weekend total of nearly $17 million.[47]

As of August 29, the film has made $84 million in the U.S. and $90 million in the international box office.[3][2]

Director's Cut

It's been confirmed that a director's cut and a documentary entitled Inferno: The Making of The Expendables will be due out in six months.[48]

Sequels

Stallone explained his plans for a sequel by saying "I have an idea ready to go" and "I'm going to try to do something that's quite radical".[49] In an interview on August 15, 2010, he said that he does not have a new script yet, but "It's plotted out in my mind's eye".[50] Stallone announced that after having dinner with Bruce Willis, he was courting the actor to take on a larger role in the sequel, possibly as a "super villain".[51]

References

  1. ^ a b c Fritz, Ben (August 15, 2010). "Box office: 'Expendables' blows up, 'Scott Pilgrim' out of tune, 'Eat Pray Love' has decent first bite". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  2. ^ a b c http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2010/XPNDB.php
  3. ^ a b c The Expendables at Box Office Mojo Amazon.com Retrieved 2010-08-21.
  4. ^ "Expendables Takes No. 1 Spot".
  5. ^ a b Segers, Frank. "'Airbender,' 'Expendables' fight for o'seas No. 1". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 30, 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  6. ^ Fritz, Ben (2010-08-12). "Movie projector: Stallone's 'Expendables' to blow away 'Eat Pray Love' and 'Scott Pilgrim'". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2010-08-30. "The Expendables" cost $82 million to produce
  7. ^ "Dolph Lundgren: Direct Contact". SuicideGirls.com. 31 May 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-02.
  8. ^ Tom Phillips (2 August 2010). "Sylvester Stallone pursued Brazilians debts". The Guardian.
  9. ^ Brunton, Richard (2008-11-29). "Van Damme turned down Stallone's The Expendables". Filmstalker.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  10. ^ "The Return of the Action Flick All-Stars". New York Times.
  11. ^ "Couture signs on to Stallone action film". NBC Sports. December 16, 2008. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  12. ^ Sneider, Jeff (March 19, 2009). "50 Cent To Star In Sylvester Stallone Action Film". MTV News. Viacom. Retrieved March 20, 2009.
  13. ^ "50 Cent is out! Who is in THE EXPENDABLES? Stallone says..." Aintitcool.com. 2009-03-21. Retrieved 2009-04-08.
  14. ^ Clint Morris (Sunday, June 7, 2009). "Exclusive : Expendables Under Siege". {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Bullock denies 'Expendables' rumour".
  16. ^ "Schwarzenegger Says He's Expendable".
  17. ^ "Kurt Russell is Not Expendable".
  18. ^ "Bruce Willis Will Join Sylvester Stallone And Arnold Schwarzenegger On Screen In 'The Expendables'". Moviesblog.mtv.com. Viacom. 2009-08-17. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
  19. ^ "Credits". Brian Tyler .com. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
  20. ^ "Shinedown's Unreleased Song Featured In The Expendables Movie Trailer!". Atlantic Records. 2010-04-01. Retrieved 2010-04-02.
  21. ^ The Expendables Trailer 3 on YouTube Google Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  22. ^ The Expendables - Sneak Peek on YouTube Google Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  23. ^ "The Expendables by Brian Tyler".
  24. ^ ""The Expendables" Movies push back to August 20, 2010 - Sylvester Stallone, Celebrity Gossip". Showhype.com. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
  25. ^ "Official Poster for The Expendables".
  26. ^ Expendables, The (2009-09-14). "The Expendables Trailer Leaked | Expendables Trailer". Expendables-movie-trailer.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2010-03-16.
  27. ^ "The Expendables Trailer".
  28. ^ "The Expendables". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2010-09-04.
  29. ^ "The Expendables (2010): Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved September 4, 2010.
  30. ^ Linden, Sheri (August 4, 2010). "The Expendables – Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  31. ^ Hammond, Pete (August 4, 2010). "THE EXPENDABLES: Action of (and with) the "Old Guard"". Box Office Magazine. Retrieved August 10, 2010.
  32. ^ Corliss, Richard (August 13, 2010). "The Expendables: Sly and the Family Clones". Time Magazine. Retrieved August 17, 2010.
  33. ^ Paras, Peter (August 12, 2010). "Review: The Expendables Packs the Ultimate Adrenaline Shot for Summer". E! Online. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/movie_reviews/b195056_review_expendables_packs_ultimate.html" ignored (help)
  34. ^ Burr, Ty (August 13, 2010). "The Expendables - Stallone and his band of macho men". E! Online. {{cite web}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Missing or empty |url= (help); Text "http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2010/08/13/the_expendables/" ignored (help)
  35. ^ Lou Lumenick (August 13, 2010). "'The Expendables' is expending and taxing". The New York Post. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  36. ^ Anthony Lane. "Tough Guys". The New Yorker. Retrieved August 14, 2010.
  37. ^ Peter Travers (August 12, 2010). "The Expendables". Rolling Stone.
  38. ^ Claudia Puig (August 14, 2010). "Don't spend your time or money on 'The Expendables'". USA Today.
  39. ^ "3 words about 'The Expendables': Not enough fun".
  40. ^ "Review: 'Expendables' a routine action film".
  41. ^ "Widest Independent Releases at the Box Office:". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  42. ^ "Top opening weekends in August at the Box Office:". Box Office Mojo. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-0822. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  43. ^ Gray, Brandon (August 16, 2010). "'Expendables' Pump Up, 'Eat Pray Love' Pigs Out, 'Scott Pilgrim' Powers Down". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  44. ^ a b Gray, Brandon (August 14, 2010). "Friday Report: 'Expendables' Rock It on Opening Day". Box Office Mojo. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  45. ^ "Company Town: 'The Expendables' still No. 1 at box office". August 23, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-23.
  46. ^ "'Expendables' and 'Vampires Suck' vie for first place on a lackluster weekend". Hollywood Insider. Entertainment Weekly. August 21, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-22.
  47. ^ "'Expendables' Endures at No. 1 with $17 Million". August 23, 2010. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
  48. ^ http://www.411mania.com/movies/news/151747/%5BMovies%5D-More-Expendables-On-The-Way?.htm
  49. ^ Simon Reynolds (August 11, 2010). "Stallone promises "radical" 'Expendables 2'". Digital Spy. Retrieved August 16, 2010.
  50. ^ Carl DiOrio (August 15, 2010). "Sylvester Stallone Talks "Expendables" Sequel". ABC News. Retrieved 2010-08-17.
  51. ^ Jason Barr (August 29th, 2010). "Sylvester Stallone Wants Bruce Willis to Play a "Super Villain" in THE EXPENDABLES Sequel". {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)


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