First, there was The Losers. Next came The A-Team. Then came The Expendables on August 13, 2010.
Written, directed and starring Rocky and Rambo himself Sylvester Stallone, this is a fitting tribute to his glory days as an action hero of the 1980s and early 1990s: part of the iconic trinity alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis.
An modern version of The Magnificent Seven, The Expendables follows a close-knit band of brothers that consists of Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), Toll Road (Randy Couture), Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), and Yin Yang (Jet Li). Led by Barney Ross (Stallone), this elite team of middle-aged mercenaries are willing to do anything as long as the job is real and the money is real. Hired by the shadowy Mr. Church (Willis), the Expendables heads to a small South America village to overthrow the dictatorship of General Garza. But soon, the Expendables realize that there is more to this mission, and must do whatever it takes to get it done.
Co-starring Eric Roberts and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, The Expendables is what we love about action movies in the 1980s and its heroes. What made this legendary is finally seeing Sly, Arnie and Bruce together on the big screen for the first time. Despite mixed reviews, the film topped the box office for two weeks and went on to grossed $274 million worldwide.
The Expendables led to 2012’s Expendables 2 with the additions of Jean-Claude Van Damme, Liam Hemsworth and Chuck Norris, and 2014’s Expendables 3 that included Wesley Snipes, Harrison Ford, Ronda Rousey, Kelsey Grammar, Robert Davi, and Mel Gibson.
The Expendables franchise is always the perfect way to end the summer.
A fourth installment is currently in the works.