out said arms dealer is no less
than Conrad Stonebanks (Gibson),
a former Expendable himself who
had previously been presumed
dead. When Stonebanks escapes,
Ross disbands his crew and recruits a fresh bunch of young
grunts to hunt the traitor down.
It took three movies, but the Expendables has finally delivered on
its promise of recreating the dubious thrills of the star-led 80s action movie. The first edition took
itself far too seriously and the
result was a drab, lifeless affair,
while the sequel veered too far in
the other direction by taking on
the walking memes of Chuck Norris and Jean Claude Van Damme.
This third installment finds a merry
balance. It doesn’t take itself se-
riously one bit, but the winking
at the audience is kept to a minimum, the comedy instead coming
from a cast of actors delivering a
masterclass in scenery chewing
and comic timing.
If you’r