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Sylvester Stallone. 64 years old and still kicking ass in his own cinematic style. The man behind Rocky and Rambo assembles an all-star action cast in a nostalgic throwback to the cheesy, yet magnetic mercenary films of the 1980's. I have to admit, the twelve year old in me has been excited about this one for almost a year, and I wasn't disappointed.
Stallone approaches his projects with one sole objective in mind; entertainment. Rambo, Rocky, Staying Alive. Wait, scratch that last one. All kidding aside, this film delivers exactly what it advertises and more. Macho male bonding, brilliantly ridiculous one-liners (particularly Dolph Lundgren in what may be a career role; did you know he speaks English?), and fast-paced unbelievable action sequences.
The story plays to each of the actor's strengths (which are all kind of the same). Jet Li gets his martial arts scenes, Terry Crews gets to show off his enormous muscles, Stallone gets his slow motion run-and-dive scenes, Mickey Rourke gets to pontificate with his low, gravelly voice, and Dolph Lundgren gets to be... big. Jason Statham is typical Statham; probably the only one of the bunch who is capable of carrying a big-budget action movie on his name alone.
Randy Couture and Steve Austin round out the muscle, and Eric Roberts gives an exceptionally giddy-inspiring performance as the bad guy.
The unexpected angle is the ultra-violence, but that also leads to much of the juvenile cheers and the high energy level of the film. From the opening sequence (Warning Shot!) to the grand finale, the explosions and blood pours out from the screen. It is a classic action movie the way that it's meant to be.
Don't expect greatness, but you may be pleasantly surprised how accurately this film transports you back to the height of action cheese. There is even the obligatory cameo by Schwartzenegger and Bruce Willis to cap off the testosterone.
Go see this movie for one reason. It is fun. Dream team of a cast as well. The only two missing were Steven Seagal and Jean Claude Van Damme. 8/10.
