The expendables

Apart from its high-octane special effects and countless gruesome killings, the main interest in watching The Expendables is observing how its aged action-movie actors have aged.

Quite clearly, actors should not go into politics: Arnold Schwarzenegger (born 1947, in Austria) makes a brief guest appearance and looks haggard. He's done a favour for his pal, lead actor Sylvester Stallone. Although he's a year older, he appears remarkably trim and bright-eyed. Perhaps, as he also co-wrote and directed the movie, he had the opportunity to get his technicians to make him look and sound good.

He's a good role model for the few younger actors, of whom the baby is dagger-flinging Jason Statham (1972). The short British hunk has developed an appealing comic stylishness, akin to that of Bruce Willis (1952) who also provides Stallone with a cameo. Mickey Rourke (1952) obviously wanted a juicier role and is given a confessional monologue to rasp, during which the director (Stallone) cuts away to his pensive self a few times.

Jet Li's dialogue allows him to tease his own high-kicking smallness, but his plumpness is a growing problem for a martial artist of his age (1963). Dolph Lundgren (1957), another imported movie hunk (from Sweden), is still an extra-large commanding presence. One senses that the supporting younger talents tried to act older than their true ages, or maybe they were just trying to act: former pro-wrestler Steve Austin (1964), kick-boxing champion Gary Daniels (1963, London) and Randy Couture (also of the 63 vintage), a former UFC title champion at two weights.

There had to be a black actor? That's former pro-footballer Terry Crews (1968); his character's name sports a cutely classical name (Hale Caesar). He's one of the band of mercenary rough-diamond good-guys in a team amassed by Stallone. A few of the above actors play bad guys on a South American island nation whose dictator is controlled by a US drug dealer (type-casting for Eric Roberts, 1956). The dictator's rebellious daughter is the band's contact and the movie's only female interest (Giselle Itie, a Mexico-born Brazilian TV star). There are several subtitled Spanish-language scenes to let Latino movie-goers feel the producers also care about them.

Technically, the movie is admirable for its tongue-in-cheek formulaic writing, quick-paced editing, blasting background music and gloriously gory blood-spurting body-part-losing special effects. "Sly" Stallone has created his third winning franchise: Rambo, Rocky and now (Barney) Ross. A sequel is in the works, planned to include even more action stars. Its main challenge will be to invent myriad new and teen-appealing wide-screen surround-sound ways of mercenary slaughter and mayhem. Old-timers like that stuff too.