THE EXPENDABLES
Stallone’s throwback is also much smarter than many of its current box office adversaries, boasting a knowing sense of its own absurdity as well as its audiences’ blood lust. The much talked about on-screen reunion between Willis, Arnie and Stallone is a blast, riddled with nods to the stars’ off-screen personas and screen histories, while the action sequences play to each performer’s strengths and age. The serious acting, meanwhile, is left to the one recent Oscar nominee in the pack: Rourke, who offers a perfectly honed mix of regret and bravado. The question still remains – is The Expendables just a one-off example of action nostalgia laced with comic irony, or does it mean that the public wants its more brutal movie stars back for good? The rapturous ovation The Expendables’ stars received at
HAS THE DAY OF THE SUPER-SIZED ACTION HERO BEEN OVER SINCE THE MID-90S?
Comic-Con in San Diego suggests the latter. For sure, Stallone and co’s biggest recent successes have come from falling back on past hits; Stallone with his Rocky and Rambo revivals and Willis with Die Hard 4.0, most obviously. But there are growing examples of original action films that are resorting to old- school values – hard men performing hard tasks with a lesser emphasis on computer effects and good judgement to back them up. Clint Eastwood, another iconic action figure
of days gone by, did it with Gran Torino, Liam Neeson punched above his weight in Taken, and Nicolas Cage has rediscovered his ‘inner crazy’ with memorable performances in Kick- Ass and Bad Lieutenant – all of which enjoyed respectable box office returns, and which look set to be remembered ever more fondly with the passage of time. The 80s and even the 70s also continue to provide the inspiration to directors of some of the most memorable action films of modern times, whether it’s Christopher Nolan with The Dark Knight and Inception, Michael Mann with Miami Vice and Collateral, Paul Greengrass with his Bourne films or the Coen brothers with No Country For Old Men and their forthcoming True Grit revival. Directors are definitely returning to lead characters with dodgy morals, who are happy to dish out an ass-whooping without an after-thought.
19–26 Aug 2010 THE LIST 93