The Expendables really were a blast. Gathering together such greatness as Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews and even Arnold Schwarzenegger makes it seem almost too much. It's a delicate symbiosis with that many usually-main-characters on set at the same time, but they manage it well. Not everyone gets along, but it feels like everyone has a place, and the tough-guy convos have plenty of punchlines, jokes, and occasionally even cutting poetry. There's hidden wisdom too, if you listen.

The only actor I didn't really recognize here was Randy Couture, but I guess not everybody else did either considering he doesn't have a very major role. Steve Austin makes a notable guest appearance too, along with a bunch of others.

The plot? The Expendables are a bunch of mercenaries for hire, and they're hired to take out a particular general on a small island, but it turns out he's but a puppet of an ex-CIA agent farming drugs. A girl gets involved, and though Barney (that's Stallone) first plans to abandon the mission - too dangerous - it gets personal. They all go back in, have a blast, and the credits roll. That's the kind of Movie this is. Plenty of action. Plenty of explosives. Plenty of tough guys with creative names.

Some of the action footage is almost too sped-up though, and patched up to the point you feel you're not getting a clear view of all the great fighting choreography, like when you go on vacation but it's only a weekend so you end up running around and trying to relax as much as possible and end up not relaxing at all. It's intense. But between the fights it does have some laid-back times too, and that variation is much required.

I like the atmosphere, even if I feel like some action sequences could've been filmed from a better angle, and at a better pace. There's a couple chases too, and cool cars, and a plane. It's like a war movie and regular action movie combined: creative carnage featuring a gathering of charismatic characters all with their own problems. If you like action, you will like this!

Vilnius, btw, doesn't that sound a bit like villainous? The ploy was more noticeable in the second, though. ;)