It will be more than interesting to see what the critics have to say about this one, given that criticising such a blatantly ridiculous movie would be the journalistic equivalent of pilfering confectionery from an infant.
In short, it's the kind of movie that not so much asks you to leave your brain at the door as it does encourage you to send your brain off to the libary to do reading or some gay shit like that.
To say that the plot of the movie is quite simple is...well, an insult to the word simple. Stallone and his group of mercenaries go up against rent-a-villain Eric Roberts, bumping into a few big-name cameos along the way. There are some sub-plots about abusive boyfriends and the fact that Jet-Li is shorter than the rest of the cast (seriously), but fundamentally Plot and Script meekly take a back seat and let Mindless Action take the wheel like some crazy drunk driver: remember, this is a film where pretty much every one of the bad guys is shot multiple times and often additionally stabbed, decapitated and blown up for good measure.
However, notable non-action moments include the penultimate scene, where Stallone's character gives his mercenary salary to the girl he has fallen in love with, so that it may fund the rebuilding of her island and home town. And well he might, as it was him and his men that blew the shit out of it in the first place. An unintentional metaphor for US foreign policy? I like to think so.
There's also a very rare moment in the film of that pesky thing....um...oh yes, that's it: acting. Mickey Rourke's character tells a sad story from his past which culminates in him bursting into tears; the recounting of this tale is interspersed with shots of Stallone lazily leaning against a wall, looking incredibly bored. Presumably his character is wondering when he will next get to shoot someone / blow something up, and thinks that Pathos is actually an island off Greece.
See it, love it, hate it.However, notable non-action moments include the penultimate scene, where Stallone's character gives his mercenary salary to the girl he has fallen in love with, so that it may fund the rebuilding of her island and home town. And well he might, as it was him and his men that blew the shit out of it in the first place. An unintentional metaphor for US foreign policy? I like to think so.
There's also a very rare moment in the film of that pesky thing....um...oh yes, that's it: acting. Mickey Rourke's character tells a sad story from his past which culminates in him bursting into tears; the recounting of this tale is interspersed with shots of Stallone lazily leaning against a wall, looking incredibly bored. Presumably his character is wondering when he will next get to shoot someone / blow something up, and thinks that Pathos is actually an island off Greece.
CB
PS Interesting fact: Jean Claude Van Damme was offered a role in the movie, but apparently turned it down on the basis that his proposed character 'lacked substance'.
Yep JC, because Cyborg, Timecop, Kickboxer and Street Fighter: The Movie are all obviously deep, painfully observed, multi-layered character studies..
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