United States, France, Bulgaria · 2014
Rated PG-13 · 2h 6m
Director Patrick Hughes
Starring Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Harrison Ford, Mel Gibson
Genre Action, Adventure, Thriller
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Barney, Christmas and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks, who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables -- but Barney has other plans. Barney decides that he has to fight old blood with new blood, and brings in a new era of Expendables team members, recruiting individuals who are younger, faster and more tech-savvy. The latest mission becomes a clash of classic old-school style versus high-tech expertise in the Expendables’ most personal battle yet.
The Expendables 3 is silly and overblown, yes, and it could definitely do without Antonio Banderas‘ motor-mouth routine (not to mention an out-of-nowhere reference to Benghazi), but it's less silly and overblown than “The Expendables 2,” for whatever that's worth.
[A] blundering jackhammer of a film.
For all the brawn on display, the film never slows down to take in the thrill and talent of hand-to-hand combat.
It is forgettable fluff, but well-delivered, and it suggests that they'll be able to keep making these as long as they can prop up the cast, and with the younger generation making a decent showing this time out, they may even be able to hand it off when the time comes.
The Expendables 3 marks a sizeable improvement on the first two outings.
This is the sort of numbskull non-entertainment that considers it worthwhile to fly in a martial-arts superstar like Jet Li and have him sit around firing a machine gun, pausing every so often to deliver the most awkward line readings of his career.
The Hollywood Reporter by Justin Lowe
Hughes and cinematographer Peter Menzies Jr. handle the assignment skillfully enough, but without much imagination, sticking to a conventional action style that is more about the quantity of explosions than nuances of execution.
Austin Chronicle by Marjorie Baumgarten
What the movie ultimately demonstrates is that the sum total is less than the individual parts when you add together Rocky, the Terminator, Indiana Jones, Mad Max, Blade, Zorro, Hercules, and the Transporter.
The Telegraph by Robbie Collin
You can’t help but wonder if some important people in boardrooms watched the last two Expendables films and, between sips of mineral water, diligently noted all the ways in which the third might be made slicker and more polished, without realising the franchise’s doughy unslickness was the wellspring of its charm.
Time Out London by Tom Huddleston
Thank the gods of war for Antonio Banderas, who single-handedly steals (and almost saves) the show as a loquacious assassin.
Choose Your Weapon.
The Expendables reunite for a seemingly easy job, but seek revenge after one of their men is murdered.
This is not war, it's extinction.
All roads don't lead to salvation.
Most people only use 10% of their brains. She unlocks the full 100% – and the powers that come with it.