The Expendables 3

The title crew returns in this third and weakest installment of the series, with the movie suffering from an almost excessively prolonged feel that’s compounded by a lack of visceral, bloody violence. (This is absolutely the last film that should be rated PG-13.) The narrative follows Sylvester Stallone’s Barney Ross as he and his gang of mercenaries are forced to go up against a former member turned bad (Mel Gibson’s Conrad Stonebanks), with problems ensuing after Barney decides against using his usual team in favor of a younger, more expendable group of killers. Filmmaker Patrick Hughes does a superb job of kicking the proceedings off with a fair degree of promise, as The Expendables 3 opens with a fast-paced and thoroughly exciting pre-credits stretch revolving around the rescue of another former member (Wesley Snipes’ Doc). And although there’s another strong action sequence immediately following, The Expendables 3 subsequently moves into a tedious midsection detailing Barney’s enlistment of the aforementioned younger killers and their various preparations for battle – with this section, though amusing at times, serving no purpose other than to pad out the running time (ie it’s ultimately clear that this entire portion of the proceedings could’ve been lifted without much difficulty). Likewise, it’s clear that the screenplay, by Creighton Rothenberger, Katrin Benedikt, and Stallone, contains as many lulls as it does engrossing sequences, with the buildup to the final confrontation certainly proving a test to the viewer’s ongoing patience (and diminishing one’s ability to wholeheartedly care about the battle’s outcome). There is, having said that, little doubt that The Expendables 3‘s action-packed climax manages to satisfy, which ultimately does confirm the movie’s place as an almost hopelessly erratic entry in this seemingly unstoppable franchise.

**1/2 out of ****