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"THE EXPENDABLES" (2010) (Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham) (R) Alcohol/ Drugs Blood/Gore Disrespectful/ Bad Attitude Frightening/ Tense Scenes Guns/ Weapons Heavy Extreme Extreme Moderate Extreme Imitative Behavior Jump Scenes Music (Scary/Tense) Music (Inappropriate) Profanity Extreme None Extreme Minor Heavy Sex/ Nudity Smoking Tense Family Scenes Topics To Talk About Violence Heavy Moderate Heavy Heavy Extreme QUICK TAKE: Action: A diverse group of mercenaries sets out to overthrow a military dictator and the rogue CIA agent working with him. PLOT: Barney Ross (SYLVESTER STALLONE) is the leader of a diverse group of mercenaries, the Expendables, who are hired by shady government types and such to do the dirty work others won't touch. After a pirate hostage rescue that resulted in Gunner Jensen (DOLPH LUNDGREN) being kicked out of the group due to his reported drug use making him untrustworthy, government spook Church (BRUCE WILLIS) hires the group to remove military dictator General Garza (DAVID ZAYAS) from power over the island country of Vilena. Barney and knives expert Lee Christmas (JASON STATHAM) make the preliminary mission where they meet a local woman, Sandra (GISELLE ITIE), who wants nothing more than Garza ousted. But the two mercenaries barely make it back out alive, not only due to Garza's heavily armed forces, but also because rogue CIA agent James Munroe (ERIC ROBERTS) -- accompanied by his huge goon, Paine (STEVE AUSTIN) -- is really the one calling the shots. After former Expendable member Tool (MICKEY ROURKE) convinces Barney they need to stand for something, he, Lee, martial arts expert Ying Yang (JET LI), weapons man Hale Caesar (TERRY CREWS) and brutish Toll Road (RANDY COUTURE) return to Vilena, prepared to rescue Sandra and overthrow both Garza and Munroe. WILL KIDS WANT TO SEE IT? If they're into action films and/or are fans of any of the action stars in it, they probably will. WHY THE MPAA RATED IT: R For strong action and bloody violence throughout, and for some language. CAST AS ROLE MODELS: SYLVESTER STALLONE plays the leader of the group of mercenaries who are hired to carry out assignments too dirty, dangerous or messy for others. Heavily tattooed, he smokes cigars, kills various bad guys and is determined to return to Vilena to rescue Sandra and defeat Garza and Munroe. JASON STATHAM plays one of his team members, a man proficient with both knives and his hands & feet, and he uses both to take out various bad guys. He also uses profanity and isn't happy his girlfriend has moved on to someone else. JET LI plays another member of the group who must contend with everyone making fun (mostly in a friendly manner) of his smaller size. Despite that, he's quite proficient at martial arts and there's a running joke about him always wanting more money from their mercenary assignments. TERRY CREWS plays his teammate who happily uses his massive gun to take out various bad guys. RANDY COUTURE plays another member, a no-nonsense man with a cauliflower ear and who uses profanity. DOLPH LUNDGREN plays a former team member who's kicked out due to (unseen) substance abuse. Accordingly, he joins forces with the villains. ERIC ROBERTS plays the lead villain, a rogue CIA agent who's taken over Vilena and its drug operation. He has no problem killing people or having others do his dirty work. STEVE AUSTIN plays his right-hand man and chief enforcer who has no problem hitting and torturing Sandra. DAVID ZAYAS plays the military dictator of Vilena who's losing patience being ordered around by Munroe and must contend with his adult daughter hating him. GISELLE ITIE plays that woman who's eager to have him overthrown and thus helps Barney and his team. MICKEY ROURKE plays a former Expendable who runs a tattoo parlor, smokes a pipe, uses profanity and tells Barney they need to stand for something. BRUCE WILLIS plays a shady government type who hires Barney's team and uses strong profanity. CAST, CREW, & TECHNICAL INFO HOW OTHERS RATED THIS MOVIE Curious if this title is entertaining, any good, and/or has any artistic merit? Then read OUR TAKE of this film. (Note: The "Our Take" review of this title examines the film's artistic merits and does not take into account any of the possibly objectionable material listed below). OUR WORD TO PARENTS: The following is a quick look at the content found in this R-rated action film. Profanity consists of at least 8 "f" words, while other expletives and colorful phrases are also uttered. Brief, sexually related comments are present, while some women show cleavage. Violence consists of heavily armed mercenaries killing bad guys via various means and forms of weaponry, while regular and martial arts style fighting (with hard blows) also occurs. That has varying degrees of blood and gore (sometimes a lot), and those scenes and moments of potential peril could be unsettling and/or suspenseful to some viewers. The action and other behavior might be enticing for kids to try to imitate, while bad attitudes are present, as is tense family material. Alcohol is present, one character is noted as having a drug problem (but no use is seen) and a drug operation is in play in the plot, but no drugs are seen. Various characters smoke. Should you still be concerned about the film's appropriateness for yourself or anyone else in your home, you may want to look more closely at our detailed listings for more specific information regarding the film's content. For those concerned with bright flashes of light on the screen, there's some of that from moving flashlights onboard a ship in the opening scene, and then some of that from muzzle flashes during a machine gun battle near the end. For those prone to visually induced motion sickness, there are varying amounts of camera movement (sometimes fairly bouncy) at various points in the film. ALCOHOL OR DRUG USE Barney and Lee tap beer bottles together as they fly their plane. Lee arrives at his girlfriend's place with a bottle of champagne, but none is consumed. Tool asks Barney if he wants a drink, but Barney says no. About Gunner and his drug problem, Tool tells Barney that Gunner went "Crankenstein on your ass." Barney informs Gunner that he can't rejoin their team due to him (Gunner) still using (drugs) and that Barney can't trust him. Munroe is upset with General Garza that there's been no production from the coca fields (for cocaine). Tool talks of taking to the bottle in the past so that he wouldn't feel any (emotional) pain. A man makes a junkie comment about Gunner. BLOOD/GORE After a brief standoff with Barney's team and threats from kidnappers to kill hostages, Gunner opens fire on one with a large weapon that blows the kidnapper in half (we see the torso blasted backwards, with bloody/gory results). That's followed by a gun battle in the dark where the team's night vision goggles show things (including resultant blood) in purple and yellow colors. Many are shot and killed during this, while at least another is blown up. Following another brief standoff, the rest of the kidnappers are killed (with gunfire and thrown knives). Gunner then threatens to hang one pirate and nearly does, but Ying intervenes and kicks him many times, bloodying his face. A soldier grabs Sandra and when Barney goes to help, he's struck and then restrained. Knives from Lee then hit various soldiers, with Barney grabbing one and shooting through him (slightly bloody results) and others. Lee hits and kicks more of them, including breaking a neck, while one soldier drags Sandra away. Lee throws a knife into him, but then comes face to face with a soldier who Barney shoots repeatedly (with some bloody results). Barney shoots three men dead inside an office (with a little bit of bloody results). Lee's former girlfriend has bruises on her face from her new boyfriend. Gunner's face is slightly bloody after a truck crash, and he's then more bloody after being shot. A soldier knocks over a bound and blindfolded Sandra in a chair and is about to burn her with a lit cigarette, but Barney chops off that man's hand and then head, and then drives a knife into the neck of another soldier (with very bloody/gory results from both attacks). Hale opens fire on soldiers with a special machine gun that fires explosives and blows many soldiers back and apart (with bloody results). During a gun battle, machine gun fire blows one man's head off, while others are also shot, with varying degrees of bloody results. Munroe shoots Barney and downs him, followed moments later by Barney blasting Munroe with gunfire, and then a large blade erupts from Munroe's chest (courtesy of Lee), with bloody results. DISRESPECTFUL/BAD ATTITUDE All of the villains (Munroe, Garza and all of their goons) have bad attitudes regarding murder, abusing the locals, running a drug operation, etc. We see that Gunner has joined forces with the bad guys. One of Munroe's goons calls Gunner a "geezer," prompting Gunner to hit him or another man and then aim his shotgun at that man or another, and then at Paine who aims his handgun at him. We hear that Munroe was a former CIA agent who went rogue and joined forces with General Garza to make money off drugs. Lee's former girlfriend has bruises on her face from her new boyfriend who tells Lee, "Keep the bitch." FRIGHTENING SCENES Scenes listed under "Violence" may be unsettling and/or suspenseful to younger viewers and/or those with low tolerance levels for such material. Lee takes off in their large sea plane, with Barney running down the dock and jumping at the plane as it lifts off, barely grabbing hold of an open door. He then hangs on as soldiers open fire on him and the plane and then manages to get inside. Paine punches Sandra hard in the face and then drags her into a room where she's tied to a table with a towel over her mouth. Water is then poured onto that, causing her to choke and struggle, and she spits out large amounts of water when that's stopped. When she doesn't give up the info Munroe wants, he orders that to happen again and it does, with her eventually going silent and still. GUNS/WEAPONS Handguns/Machine guns/Knives/Explosives/Shotgun: Carried and/or used to threaten, wound or kill others and/or cause property damage. See "Violence" for details. Lee flings a large knife into a target on a wall, followed by Tool doing the same. This is repeated at the end of the film, including with Lee walking out of the building and then flinging his knife through the open door, over the heads of his comrades, and into that wall target. Munroe and General Garza draw swords on each other, but don't engage in such a battle. IMITATIVE BEHAVIOR Phrases: "What's his f*cking problem?" (followed by, "He wants to be President"), "People trying to f*ck me over," "F*ck his ass" (nonsexual), "F*ck it" "Blow the f*cking building," "Shot to sh*t," "Who gives a sh*t?" "Sh*t no," "That's bullsh*t," "I'm gonna smash the sh*t out of it," "We don't stand for sh*t," "I don't believe in sh*t," "Sh*t's getting old," "Dip-sh*t," "Let's quit jerking off" (not literal), "You're not going to start sucking each other's dick, are you?" "Next time I'll deflate all of your balls," "What the hell is he doing?" "Damn, you look good," "He went Crankenstein on your ass," "Ass-deep," "To Hell and back," "Half-assed," "It ain't easy being green," "Bastards," "Who are you, Zorro?" "Real ass-wipes," "Run you bastard," "Why the hell would anybody want to stay?" "The hell with it," "Bad Shakespeare," "A real bad ass," "Old geezer," "Keep the bitch," "Are you out of your mind?" "Get the hell out," "Don't talk to me, cockroach," "Bring it, happy feet," "What the hell happened to you?" "Why are you here?" (followed by "I just am"), "I got my ass kicked" and "Pretty freaking stupid." The action, fighting and other stunts might be enticing for some kids to try to imitate. Various characters have tattoos, including Tool (who's a tattoo artist), Barney, Lee, Gunner and Hale. Lee flings a large knife into a target on a wall, followed by Tool doing the same. This is repeated at the end of the film, including with Lee walking out of the building and then flinging his knife through the open door, over the heads of his comrades, and into that wall target. Various soldiers have painted faces. JUMP SCENES None. MUSIC (SCARY/TENSE) An extreme amount of suspenseful, ominous and action-based music plays in the film. MUSIC (INAPPROPRIATE) The song "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" has the lyrics "You see I wanted her real bad and I was about to give in. That's when she started talkin' true love, started talkin' about sin. I said honey I'll live with you for the rest of my life. She said no huggin' no kissin' until you make me your wife. My honey my baby don't put my love on no shelf. She don't hand me no lines and keep your hands to yourself." PROFANITY At least 8 "f" words, 13 "s" words, 1 slang term for male genitals ("d*cks"), 9 asses (1 used with "hole"), 8 hells, 4 damns and 3 uses of "G-damn." SEX/NUDITY The song "Keep Your Hands to Yourself" has the lyrics "You see I wanted her real bad and I was about to give in. That's when she started talkin' true love, started talkin' about sin. I said honey I'll live with you for the rest of my life. She said no huggin' no kissin' until you make me your wife. My honey my baby don't put my love on no shelf. She don't hand me no lines and keep your hands to yourself." Lee kisses his cleavage-revealing girlfriend upon arriving at her place, but it's then revealed she has a new boyfriend. Tool rides in with a cleavage-revealing woman on his bike and then pats her on her clothed butt when she walks away. We see Barney shirtless as he gets a tattoo finished by Tool whose shirt is open in the front. Not meant literally, a man tells others, "Let's quit jerking off." About Barney and his rival interacting via biting comments, Church sarcastically asks, "You're not going to start sucking each other's dick, are you?" About Lee's recent romantic break-up, Barney tries to make him feel better by saying that it would be hot and heavy for a while, but then asks what about the rest of the day. Lee confronts his former girlfriend's abusive boyfriend, beats up him and his friends, and then throws a basketball down hard onto the man's chest and then stabs a large knife into that, deflating the ball. He then delivers the warning that next time "I'll deflate all of your balls." Some men may make sexual remarks (in Spanish) toward Sandra who's bound and blindfolded. SMOKING Barney (cigars) and Tool (pipe) each smoke several times, as do some miscellaneous people (one with a cigar, another with a cigarette that he intends to burn Sandra with, but is stopped). Barney's rival hands him an unlit cigar. TENSE FAMILY SCENES Sandra says her mother died when Sandra was little and that her father left as well (SPOILER ALERT), but we later learn her father is the still very alive General Garza. Sandra angrily yells at her father. Sandra sees her father shot and killed. TOPICS TO TALK ABOUT Mercenaries. Lee's former girlfriend has bruises on her face from her new boyfriend. Tool tells a story of being so hardened in the past that he didn't stop a jumper from committing suicide back then. Tattoos - especially having a lot of them. Aging action stars. VIOLENCE We see hostages that are bound and gagged, and are manhandled by their kidnappers (pirates) as they're moved to a new location. One ends up falling and is kicked by a kidnapper. The leader makes a video where he's angry about not being paid and thus raises his large knife to kill a hostage, but red laser sights all over him, from above, stop him. After a brief standoff with Barney's team and more threats from the kidnappers, Gunner opens fire on one with a large weapon that blows the kidnapper in half (we see the torso blasted backwards, with bloody/gory results). That's followed by a gun battle in the dark where the team's night vision goggles show things (including resultant blood) in purple and yellow colors. Many are shot and killed during this, while at least another is blown up. Following another brief standoff, the rest of the kidnappers are killed (with gunfire and thrown knives). Gunner then threatens to hang one pirate and nearly does, but Ying intervenes and kicks him many times, bloodying his face. Gunner eventually regains control and holds a knife on him, but Barney holds a handgun to Gunner's head to make him stand down. Armed soldiers manhandle three men, with General Garza threatening to shoot one, but Munroe beats him to the punch, killing the man. General Garza then executes the other two via gunshots. Armed soldiers manhandle locals, pushing them around and kicking over one on a bike. A soldier grabs Sandra and when Barney goes to help, he's struck and then restrained. Knives from Lee then hit various soldiers, with Barney grabbing one and shooting through him (slightly bloody results) and others. Lee hits and kicks more of them, including breaking a neck, while one soldier drags Sandra away. Lee throws a knife into him, but then comes face to face with a soldier who Barney shoots repeatedly (with some bloody results). The three then take off in a truck, followed by a vehicle chase with one truck smashing into a local cart. Barney shoots three men dead inside an office (with a little bit of bloody results). Lee takes off in their large sea plane, with Barney running down the dock and jumping at the plane as it lifts off, barely grabbing hold of an open door. He then hangs on as soldiers open fire on him and the plane. Barney manages to get inside and then takes over the controls as Lee goes through the plane's nose and then out a hatch where he controls big machine guns. Barney flies back around and Lee opens fire on the soldiers on a large pier, blasting many of them. Fuel is then dropped on that as well, with Lee firing a flare that ignites that fuel, resulting in a huge explosion. We later hear that 41 soldiers were killed from all of that. One of Munroe's goons calls Gunner a "geezer," prompting Gunner to hit him or another man and then aim his shotgun at that man or another, and then at Paine who aims his handgun at him. Lee's former girlfriend has bruises on her face from her new boyfriend. Lee then goes to confront that man and his friends, and proceeds to beat all of them up with various brutal blows (punches, kicks, etc.). That ends with Lee throwing a basketball down hard onto the man's chest and then stabbing a large knife into that, deflating the ball. He then delivers the warning that next time "I'll deflate all of your balls." We see soldiers manhandling and pushing locals up against walls, etc. Paine punches Sandra hard in the face and then drags her into a room where she's tied to a table with a towel over her mouth. Water is then poured onto that, causing her to choke and struggle, and she spits out large amounts of water when that's stopped. When she doesn't give up the info Munroe wants, he orders that to happen again and it does, with her eventually going silent and still. Barney and Ying head off a in truck, but then find themselves in an ambush where machine guns are fired at them, with Ying firing back as Barney tries to get them out of there. That results in a road chase where other vehicles are hit, while Barney purposefully slams his truck into the side of the one Gunner is driving. In that and after tiring of the guy in the passenger seat, Gunner repeatedly hits and kicks that man, eventually leaving a boot print on his face. More vehicles are hit in the chase, while Barney causes a warehouse support to fall with Gunner and Barney's trucks crashing. Ying and Gunner then battle, with Ying delivering many blows (with Gunner also hitting his head on low-hanging metal) before wrapping his feet around his neck. Gunner then gets control and repeatedly slams Ying up against a grate of some sort and prepares to slam him down into a pole or something similar to impale him, but Barney shoots Gunner, downing, wounding and bloodying him. Barney and his team return to the town and take out various soldiers (hitting, knifing, etc.) as they plant explosives and dump fuel all around General Garza's palace. A soldier knocks over a bound and blindfolded Sandra in a chair and is about to burn her with a lit cigarette, but Barney chops off that man's hand and then head, and then drives a knife into the neck of another soldier (with very bloody/gory results from both attacks). Barney is hit and then held and strangled, and Paine then punches him hard in the gut. Barney's team then arrives and takes on Paine and the other soldiers. All sorts of simultaneous fighting ensues (shooting, knifing, hitting, breaking limbs, etc.) while Barney and Paine battle, and Ying and Lee repeatedly kick one man, ending with a kick that breaks the man's neck. That's followed by a machine gun battle, while Hale opens fire on the soldiers with a special machine gun that fires explosives and blow many soldiers back and apart (with bloody results). Munroe shoots General Garza, who falls a long way off a balcony, and then shoots others. Many soldiers fire many machine guns at the team who are trapped and can't advance or retreat. After waiting to make sure Sandra is out of the palace, Barney remotely sets off the many explosives earlier set, causing many huge explosions that result in the palace collapsing. Barney and his team then rush out, firing their machine guns at the retreating soldiers. They also throw grenades that result in smaller explosions, while machine gun fire blows one man's head off, while others are also shot with varying degrees of bloody results. Hale uses his modified machine gun to blast one tower, resulting in the top of it exploding, and then does the same to another (presumably killing the soldiers up there), while Lee throws knives into others. Toll Road and Paine also battle, exchanging blows, while Barney shoots many while avoiding a grenade shot his way (that results in a big explosion). Paine ends up falling into a fire and is ablaze, followed by Toll Road delivering a hard blow to him, while Hale barely avoids a large building collapsing onto him. Barney fires handguns that shoot like machine guns at more soldiers, while he also shoots a bomb that Hale throws into the air, resulting in an explosion that also blows up a helicopter. That's followed by even more huge explosions. Munroe shoots Barney and downs him, followed moments later by Barney blasting Munroe with gunfire, and then a large blade erupts from Munroe's chest (courtesy of Lee), with bloody results. Reviewed August 9, 2010 / Posted August 13, 2010

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