August 2010. Sylvester Stallone implemented what he considered as impossible before – a movie in which he could gather legends of action. He told in Q&A on Ain’t It Cool News in December 2006, “My answer is simple. Ego, ego, ego, ego, ego EGO! When you get an army of generals and no privates, what do you think is gonna happen? Absolutely nothing.” It was the first movie after it came the second and the third every two years, which brought another actors of action films. The fourth Expendables could come earlier if not leak of the third part in the world web, which made hurt to box-office. Even though a flick recouped, but it didn’t perform very profitable what put in long development of production of the fourth film, which was in confrontation between Sylvester Stallone and Avi Lerner on how should be the next part. Sly couldn’t find agreement with producer and left production in March 2017, but he spoke again about The Expendables 4 in January 2018. Randy Couture continued to say that filming will begin in the fall of that year what didn’t commence. COVID-19 interrupted on few more years. Filming was launched in the end of September 2021 and completed in December of that year. For commercial reasons in don’t risking with any large-budgeted film, release scheduled on September 2023. I was going to watch it in theater, because it is movie is event, which, I reason, can be seen only there. My high anticipation changed on boycott for incident with Terry Crews and that Millennium Media used Greek soldiers as free work force and they also didn’t pay for borrowing of army equipment. I couldn’t stand that Jason Statham deal with projects made on money of commie party of Han Empire. A script was the last stand, but materials made me to see that it will not incredible. Writers are creators of B-quality films while Sylvester Stallone put himself aside in production by saying that 80 percent of made movie belongs to Statham to whom he trusted film series and, personally, Sly pronounced that he leaves The Expendables. Working materials revealed that Jason Statham isn’t a person for handle. It was associative with abysmal of cinema in Fast and Furious and Mister and Missis Smith – movies, which produce today, not old school and what is action as all three parts of The Expendables under Sylvester Stallone. I sat at computer and launched Expend4bles, a title I didn’t like.
It was exhalation that changing of direction didn’t occur and almost all Fast and Furious moments in exclusions. Not about screenplay. Misunderstanding of plot comes in that I didn’t recognize Barney Ross who asks Lee Christmas to visit their lovable, as it will reveal, bar and take back a lucky ring. I can’t understand point and cause of acts of biker-cladded guys who own place. That was only beginning, because confusion and no motives of acts of personages will go on and come to mess at overall in the end with ship sequence where nobody hurry and nobody takes care on opposite side. Action, which usually creative and interesting, couldn’t overshadow plot, which came to point when was impossible to perceive soon. A crew arrives in Libya, their plane is getting shot by missile, which doesn’t destroy make serious damage and everybody don’t bother on attack, Ross makes landing where everybody leaves on jeeps while he takes up again with no reason. The plane will be shot at second time whereas a fatal strike will from a sniper rifle, which reach firing engine, which explode and it causes to crash. Actually, Ross planned to fake his death in this unusual way and total revelation in the end made my eyes bigger than owl’s. He kidnapped leader of gang of that bar whom kept in wardrobe and that mustached guy was in hibernation state from which he will wake up when Barney puts him on pilot’s place while himself will escaped with parachute. Awaken biker will scream and willn’t make any acts. I will hardly believe that people with any relation to scripts have a commonsense. That showed crash is impossible for burn body, because there wasn’t fire in cockpit. That odd sequence in bar was made for tying with death fake, which Barney did for find a man responsible for death of his team twenty-five years ago, a thing never mentioned for three movie while actually it is suddenly Barney’s ill point. This plot’s line could fit for explanation of absence of most members of big crew from The Expendables 3. But no mentioning what with them occurred. At least, the fourth flick tells more wonderful background on familiar characters and they has forward development. Nevertheless, “must be conflict between personages” as, unfortunately, requires contemporary scriptwriting comes with no reason for that and sometimes heroes say incoherent phrases. Certainly, I assumed who was a person made setup, because choice was almost in one variant, which was a drivel one due to no motives for character and his chaotic acts in final ship sequence will never have ground too. It was impossible to feel for personages as preposterous “death” of Barney where was made a mistake in switching on of tragic music long before when appear hints that a crew’s leader in extreme situation. I can’t perceive a danger after Lee Christmas used a rocket launcher on helicopter nearby of which stayed all hostile guys, a machine makes a big explosion, but everybody survive – it would be better if it would a comedy, but that was stinky smell of Vin Diesel movie. Fly on motorcycle made recalling of XXX.
Jokes for laughing are exceptions as my favorite is wish of mercenary who watched viral video. From things assumed (but not) to be funny will touch of potty point, which lowest in Levy Tran’s character have special interest to Toll Road.
Action in little quantity while director Scott Waugh convinces on “Barney’s death” that he is defective in staging drama, which takes the most of movie’s length with the screenplay in which I asked questions to confuses. Pointless firing of Lee Christmas and appoinment on leader’s position of his girlfriend Gina in performance of Megan Fox, whose readiness for operation was considered as little by Lee and Barney. And since when a mercenary team became in control of CIA, which decides who will helm it?
The story itself was keeping a passive pace. I would finish in usual situation or look in forward or did something aside, as it would be writing of this review, but there were The Expendables and only thing was in very often checking of timer. I was in doubts about one hundred million film’s cost and I don’t believe in them after I watched movie. Underwater explosion of ship couldn’t be so expensive.
I saw a couple Bulgarians presented as Arabs in Libya part, but everything rest is in order for make me to believe that set takes in called countries. Whereas all music is aside thing. Brian Tyler who currently the last composer created a memorable and associative score in film, which never will play in Expend4bles, and made deep personal degradation into cinematic dumpster was replaced on Guillame Roussel who was involved in Loin du periph in which I had same feeling about music.
Sly Stallone minimized to almost zero his action activity. His presence in picture is less twenty-five minutes, but he is still believable tough man. Credible performance has Dolph Lundgren. Many times Jason Statham could be more than walrus in efforts with his wide time in which he takes a central role in some moment. Nevertheless, his acting on acceptable. Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson never was inefficient in acting. He has passive lines, but stays all right as Levy Tran. Jacob Scipio, as expected, is rip-off of Antonio Banderas’s Galgo. Deeply regretfully that Banderas wasn’t available as can assume. Scipio isn’t authentic for action and he belongs to marvel universe where nobody can convince me that can fight and shoot. Fortunately, Scipio was in little in that. Megan Fox has same negative nuance on make to believe that she can handle with gun as also her acting has no truth. Iko Uwais isn’t impressive and isn’t imposing villain. He demonstrates excellent martial arts while personality of his personage can’t stand even with Slavi Slavov in role of dictator of Denzali in The Expendables III whose appearance was in seconds. Tony Jaa isn’t capable for good acting as well as he can’t sweeping. His finest acting was only in combination with killing. Andy Garcia’s behavior is just presence and he has no intention to exert in acting. Scene of hysteria with his character whose lines doesn’t have logical coherence is the most worst of his performance. Randy Couture’s Toll Road gets a lot of time in this part and ex-MMA fighter makes the most memorable personage in which he shows that he can be a great actor. Couture must have more personal fights and I yearn on that Toll Road must have a final meeting with Iko Uwais’ Suarto Rahmat.
I wouldn’t be saddened if I would left money in theater even though I want to erase most part of script from my mind. One day, I will watch it again for action. Moreover, I willn’t against another The Expendables. If it will happen (what is questionably if see that Expend4bles isn’t in big anticipating and it had the lowest box-office start in series in Han Empire.), I will cross fingers for hiring a talented scriptwriter.