There's so much that can be said about 'The Extendables' but that title meant to draw comparisons is a bad omen. A tale of Hollywood big screen action men, their egos & problems gets showcased in a virtual no-name cast with little action or budget. The real issue is there's very few laughs which seems to be the entire point to lampooning them.
An Arnold Schwarzenegger-like action star Vardell Duseldorfer (Brian Thompson) aka V. D. is mounting a career comeback after a failed last movie, a run in politics and a scandal involving sleeping with a maid. He's a middle aged drunk, drug addict, impotent sex obsessed idiot. As director / star of his new movie shooting in Eastern Europe 'Hard Time On Mars' can he work with the crew, finish the film & recapture his respect & fame?
I like Thompson - a character actor - who made his bones typically playing heavies in big budget action fare or the odd hero in dtv flicks. Having actually shared the stage with Arnold, Stallone & JCVD is cool. However the tale here isn't a joy to watch and there's no fun insight. Thompson juggles starring, editing, producing, writing & directing which almost makes it sound like a bad vanity project. A word from him beforehand in front of a green screen doesn't help.
Some faces make cameos - Mark Dacascos, Martin Kove, Kevin Sorbo, Patrick Warburton - none of it very good. A lot of people are adopting an apologetic tone towards 'The Extendables', but I don't want anyone to be influenced into seeing this. You might be a fan of Thompson or think the concept of seeing behind the curtain with ego prone actors sounds like a fun time, but this is a pretty sad affair.
