Top 5 Action-Packed Films for Fans of The Expendables

For those who are already fans of “The Expendables,” the sequels are likely familiar territory, making further recommendations unnecessary. However, if you haven’t yet explored the series, it’s advisable to focus on the first two films, as “The Expendables 4” is generally considered skippable. Regardless of your familiarity with the franchise, you might be on the lookout for other films that capture the same action-packed essence. Here are five movies that fit the bill perfectly.

A major draw of “The Expendables” was its assembly of the ultimate Gen X action hero trio: Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The film marked a significant moment for Stallone and Schwarzenegger, whose fierce box office rivalry in the past had extended to personal animosity. However, their collaboration on “The Expendables” helped mend their relationship, leading to a friendship that saw them co-star in “Escape Plan.”

If Schwarzenegger’s limited role in “The Expendables” left you wanting more, “Escape Plan” offers a full-fledged opportunity to see both stars share the screen for an extended period. While the film spawned two sequels, be aware that Schwarzenegger did not return for them.

But after “The Expendables,” they mended fences and even became good friends — friends who then made a film together as co-headliners. That film, “Escape Plan,” was released in 2013 and saw the pair play two tough guys who have to team up to bust out of a high security prison. Not surprisingly, critics didn’t love the movie, though they also couldn’t help but admit that it was neat seeing Stallone and Schwarzenegger finally pair up for a fun action romp. 

If you thought that what equated to a cameo by Schwarzenegger in “The Expendables” was just a tease, and you wanted to actually see those two icons mix it up for two hours, “Escape Plan” is right up your alley. There are two sequels that you might also dig if you like the original, but just know that Schwarzenegger didn’t come back for either of them. 

“The Expendables” marked one of the last times we saw Bruce Willis seem to be genuinely having fun on screen. Of course, we now know that his seeming disinterest in and detachment from the characters he was playing during Willis’s final years of acting were likely due to his being afflicted with aphasia rather than having a bad attitude. But it does put a bittersweet spotlight on our last few glimpses of that spark in his eye and the joy he clearly had for his career when he was healthy, which includes not only “The Expendables” but also fellow 2010 release “RED.”

However, “RED” isn’t only a strong recommend to “Expendables” fans for that reason. It also happens to be another star-studded action comedy that goes heavy on performers who were most famous 10 to 20 years prior. In fact, that mirrors the premise of the movie itself, as Willis plays a retired CIA agent who is dragged back into action after a group of assassins attack him. He is joined by Morgan Freeman, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Brian Cox, and Richard Dreyfuss, who all seem to be having the most fun they’d had making a movie in years. 

Whereas “The Expendables” was positioned as an all-star cast of golden age action stars, “Triple Threat” is an all-star cast of martial arts movie masters. While they aren’t mainstream household names in the way that a Jackie Chan or Jet Li might be, any hardcore fans of the genre are well aware of who Scott Adkins, Michael Jai White, Tony Jaa, Iko Uwais, Tiger Chen, and Celina Jade are — and will consider it a dream come true to see all those names in the cast list of a single film.

Not unlike “The Expendables,” the actual plot of “Triple Threat” isn’t incredibly important, and is just a reason to have all those people bringing their A-games against one another. But such as it is, it centers on a group of highly skilled fighters trying to prevent the murder of a wealthy man’s daughter. Like many of the best martial arts movies, “Triple Threat” is directed by a stunt performer: Jesse V. Johnson, whose bona fides in that department speak for themselves, with stunt credits that include “Mission: Impossible III,” “Thor,” “Avatar,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” and the original “Total Recall.” 

Though Kurt Russell never appeared in the “Expendables” movies despite Sylvester Stallone’s best efforts, Russell was willing to join the ever-ballooning ensemble of A-listers in the “Fast and Furious” franchise. While the series started out with mostly up-and-coming actors plus a handful of rappers, the list of people who have subsequently appeared in one or more “Fast and Furious” films has become almost a who’s who of the most successful actors of the last few decades — including a whopping four Oscar winners.

The general thinking is that you should always recommend the first movie in a series to a newcomer to that franchise. And certainly, the entirety of the “Fast and Furious” saga is a fun watch, especially once the movies leaned fully into becoming intentionally ridiculous comic book-style camp. But we are breaking with that convention and zeroing in on “Furious 7” here for a few reasons. 

First off, it’s the best-reviewed film in the franchise so far — and should you not be willing to commit to the daunting task of watching 11 whole movies about people doing cool stuff in and around cars, you might as well go straight to the best one. But keeping more in line with “The Expendables” in particular, “Furious 7” is also the most star-studded entry, easily among the most A-lister-stuffed big budget blockbusters ever made. 

Every movie like “The Expendables” released in the last 40 years, that has been about big burly bros with bazookas going into a jungle setting and laying waste to the place, has the godfather of that genre to thank: 1987’s “Predator.” In addition to Stallone’s own “Rambo” films — primarily the second and third installments — those that grew up watching “Predator” were the target audience for “The Expendables.” And it’s one of the primary reasons why Arnold Schwarzenegger was a must for the cast of the latter.

Obviously “Predator” takes things much further into a sci-fi direction, since it’s about the titular extraterrestrial hunter and the mission to take it out. But nobody is going to say “The Expendables” is grounded in reality anyway. The vibes are very much the same, and in the unlikely event that you’ve somehow seen and loved “The Expendables” but haven’t watched “Predator,” you should rectify that immediately. 

Your mileage may vary on the many other “Predator” films that have been released over the years, but as long as you stay away from “Predator 2” and 2018’s “The Predator” — and the universally terrible “Alien vs. Predator” spinoff series — you’ll have avoided the trash and should have a good time.