The Expendables: a Tactical Breakdown of the 2009 film

Mission Briefing

The Expendables

Official Trailer

"Choose your weapon. Join the legends."

The Full Strike Team

The Core Unit • Sylvester Stallone (Barney Ross)
• Jason Statham (Lee Christmas)
• Jet Li (Yin Yang)
• Dolph Lundgren (Gunner Jensen)
• Terry Crews (Hale Caesar)
• Randy Couture (Toll Road)

High-Value Targets • Eric Roberts (James Munroe)
• Steve Austin (Paine)
• David Zayas (General Garza)
• Gary Daniels (The Brit)

Support & Intelligence • Mickey Rourke (Tool)
• Bruce Willis (Mr. Church)
• Arnold Schwarzenegger (Trench)
• Giselle Itié (Sandra)
• Charisma Carpenter (Lacy)

Mission Intelligence: Fun Facts

• Purple Heart Production:  Sylvester Stallone sustained 14 injuries during filming, including a broken tooth, a ruptured ankle, and a hairline neck fracture that required a surgical metal plate.
• The Almost-Caesar: The role of Hale Caesar was originally offered to Wesley Snipes, Forest Whitaker, and 50 Cent before Terry Crews finally landed the part.
• Old Rivals, New Allies: This film marked the first time action titans Stallone, Schwarzenegger, and Willis ever shared the screen simultaneously.
• Stunt Diver: During a truck sequence, the brakes failed and the vehicle fell into the sea with Jason Statham inside. Luckily, his real-life training as a world-class competitive diver allowed him to escape safely.
• Unpaid Cameos: Both Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger performed their brief roles for free as a favor to Stallone.

Strategic Analysis: Action Architecture

What separates The Expendables from the CGI-heavy blockbusters of the 2010s is its commitment to Practical "Old School" Carnage. Stallone, acting as both director and lead, prioritized physical presence over digital polish. The film utilizes a specific "Heavy Metal" visual style, high-contrast lighting and rapid-fire editing, to simulate the chaotic energy of an 80s war zone.

Tactical Highlight: The AA-12 Sequence

The introduction of Terry Crews’ Hale Caesar utilizing the AA-12 Auto Assault 12 Shotgun remains a franchise high-water mark. It wasn't just a cool gun; it was a character beat. The sheer sonic power and practical squib work in the tunnels showed a dedication to "over-the-top" ballistics that modern PG-13 films simply can't touch.

Armory & Motorpool: Hardware Specs

THE TRUCK: 1955 Ford F100. Customized with a chopped roof, matte black finish, and a 347 stroker engine. It wasn't just a prop; it was Stallone’s personal design choice to represent Barney Ross's "classic but lethal" personality.

THE BLADES: The "Legacy" Toothpick. Designed by legendary knifemaker Gil Hibben specifically for the film. Lee Christmas (Statham) utilized custom throwing knives that became a visual shorthand for his precision-based combat style.

The Director's Gamble

In 2010, the industry consensus was that the "Hard R" action movie was dead. Stallone’s gamble was that fans didn't want less violence; they wanted better violence. By casting real-life MMA legends like Randy Couture and Steve Austin, he ensured the hand-to-hand choreography had a level of bone-crunching legitimacy that stunt doubles alone couldn't provide. The "Tactical Breakdown" of this film reveals a meticulous blend of pro-wrestling theatrics and authentic military movement.

Ready for the full tactical breakdown?

View The Highlight Reel Review

Starring Stallone • Statham • Li • Lundgren • Crews • Couture

READ HERE »

Recommendations for Ray Manukay

To read more about Ray Manukay visit the page About Ray Manukay!

“Ray is one of the hardest working, intelligent and considerate people I've ever worked with. He has my highest recommendation based on his dedication and ability.” October 23, 2008

-Jason Calacanis, CEO & Founder, Mahalo.com Inc.
managed Ray at Mahalo

"People like Ray are the reason companies succeed. He is dedicated, passionate and has an incredible work ethic. At Ayzenberg, he has done social media engagement for our biggest clients including EA, Yahoo and more. He is an expert at understanding how to use social media to engage brand customers and advocates in meaningful conversations and ensure their experience with the brand is second to none. He has been a huge asset to our team for more than 2 1/2 years and I would highly recommend him for any social media engagement or community management position."

- Rebecca Markarian Social Media Marketing and Communications Specialist at Ayzenberg Group

"Ray is a born leader. Both the community and the other staff just 'want' to work with him and for him. I was extremely fortunate to have a truly passionate leader like Ray on such important community assignments. I'll absolutely look to Ray again if given the opportunity."

-Keith Pape Social & Emerging Media Digital Agency Executive, Speaker, Writer


“Ray was a truly amazing employee. Again and again he surpassed impossible goals. 'Above and beyond' does not even do justice to the effort that Ray put into his job. One of the truly great and incredible people I have had the rare privilege to work with. Anyone who gets him gets a huge and very serious winner. Ray was one of the heroes of Mahalo. I was personally very sorry to see him go. I would hire him back again in a heartbeat.” October 23, 2008


-Mark Jeffrey, CTO, Mahalo.com, Inc.
managed Ray indirectly at Mahalo

" I have been Ray's immediate supervisor for several years. I found him to be consistently pleasant, tackling all assignments with dedication and a smile.
Besides being a joy to work with, Ray is a hard charging and reliable employee, he is dependable and always willing to help and take on assignments. He has successfully developed several social marketing plans for our company that have resulted in increased brand visibility. During his tenure, we saw an increase in Facebook, Twitter and other social media branding that is directly attributed to Ray. Though he was an asset to our social marketing efforts, Ray was also extraordinarily helpful in other areas of the company. He was our main blogger, he maintained the company corporate blog, and he also selected content and helped maintain many of our websites. I highly recommend Ray for employment. He is a team player and would make a great asset to any organization. "

- Matthew Campos, IT & Operations Manager, Kingdom WWW Operations, Inc


“Ray Manukay is a hard-working and dedicated person. During my time as Editorial Director of Mahalo, Ray was one of the most prolific Guides reporting to me, producing more pages per day than anyone else on staff. In the early days of Mahalo, he was the first employee to build over 1,000 pages on the site and, if I remember correctly, he hit that record when we were only 12,000 pages strong. Ray is adept at internet research, keeps his head down, avoids distraction, and knocks out good work fast.” October 23, 2008

-C.K. Sample III, Editorial Director, Mahalo.com, Inc
managed Ray at Mahalo

“Ray is the hardest-working person I have ever met. He is a dedicated and intensely loyal employee. If he's given a new, more difficult goal to achieve, he'll do it - quietly and subtly. He's not a glory-hound, and he's not one of those people who flaunts how much they're working to try to score points. He's unobtrusive about his hard work, but it shows in his amazing productivity. He's the epitome of the strong, silent type, a rock that you can build a team around.” October 22, 2008

-Nicole Gustas, Lead Guide, Mahalo
worked directly with Ray at Mahalo

“Ray is one of the best mannered and hardest working people in our organization, which would be a feat in itself, except that Ray also manages to do this while being the most liked person in our organization. Truly a rare and special talent. I would recommend Ray to any friend, family, colleague, etc wholeheartedly and without reservation. Ray is the kind of person who when he wins employee of the month, everyone cheers.” October 22, 2008

-Tyler Crowley, Director of Marketing and Strategy, Mahalo
managed Ray indirectly at Mahalo


“I had the privilege of working in the same office space with Ray during his time at Mahalo, and being able to see him work firsthand. To say that he was hardworking and reliable doesn't do him justice. There was rarely something going on that Ray wasn't involved in and supporting. He helped grow Mahalo, especially during the crucial first year, to immense heights. Ray is an extremely valuable commodity to anyone looking for someone they can rely on, and not have to worry about whether or not the job is getting done.” October 22, 2008

-Ryan Budke, Programming Manager, AOL
was with another company when working with Ray at Mahalo

“Ray was always a blast to work with, he tirelessly produces high quality work no matter how challenging the work environment may be. Once he told me how he rushed into a burning building to save a family, on a scale of 1 to 10, he is certainly a 7 or better, hell he is a 11.” October 23, 2008

-Sean Percival , Social Media and Technology Guide , Mahalo
worked directly with Ray at Mahalo

“Ray Manukay is one of the most efficient workers I have ever met. He is very focused and capable of adapting to constantly changing goals. If I ever find myself looking for employees, Ray will be one of the first people I contact.” October 28, 2008

-Mike Rhoads , Guide , Mahalo.com Inc
worked directly with Ray at Mahalo

“I worked with Ray at Mahalo for nearly two years. During that time his dedication never flagged, his work was of the highest quality, and everyone in the office enjoyed working with him. Any company would be fortunate to have him on their team.” October 26, 2008

-Sara Kettler , How To Writer , Mahalo
worked with Ray at Mahalo

“I can't even begin to say enough about Ray, so I won't even try (there isn't enough room on this page). I would like to second everything that has been said in his recommendations. Not only was Ray THE MOST productive person at Mahalo over its first year of existence, his work was consistently high quality and his professional demeanor and ethic was impeccable. If there is any justice in this world, Ray will be running this country in eight years. Mark my words.” October 25, 2008

-Andrew Kaufman , Editorial Director , Mahalo.com
worked with Ray at Mahalo

READ HERE »

New Watchmen Trailer

A new trailer for the Watchmen was released at the Spike Awards.

It's basically the original trailer, with new scenes and images sprinkled throughout the clip.



I have to say the footage looks cool, but I'm still wondering if they are selling the movie as something that it's not...especially the uninitiated, non-comic book fans.

The Watchmen is a mystery and a drama, with some action....actually not as much as one would think in a comic book film. The book is basically a lot of guys in outlandish suits sitting or standing around and talking.

If it's anything like the novel, the trailer sets up the film to be something it's not.

An excellent article by Dan Doodswen on Empire Online makes the same point.

I'm just hoping for a good movie, still hard for me to imagine the filmmakers telling that story in less than two hours.

READ HERE »

Brad Pitt in Inglourious Basterds: Lt. Aldo Raine Trivia & Tarantino History

Actor Spotlight: Brad Pitt

Lt. Aldo Raine & The Tarantino Partnership

The Face of the Basterds

In 2009, Brad Pitt took on the role of Lt. Aldo Raine, the moonshine-distilling, Nazi-scalping leader of the Basterds. Armed with a thick Tennessee drawl and a prominent neck scar that is never explained, Pitt delivered a comedic yet intimidating performance that anchored the film’s "Men on a Mission" narrative.

🎖️ Aldo Raine Trivia

• The Audition: Tarantino flew to Pitt's home in France to pitch the role. After several bottles of wine and a late-night discussion, Pitt agreed to lead the cast.
• The Scar: The large scar on Aldo’s neck was a deliberate choice by Tarantino. He wanted a "hint" of a dark backstory—implying Aldo had survived a lynching—but insisted the character never explain it.
• Gorlami!: Pitt’s "Enzo Gorlomi" scene in the cinema was largely improvised. His intentionally terrible Italian accent became one of the most quoted moments in modern cinema.
• Method Tobacco: Pitt insisted on using real snuff and tobacco to maintain the "roughneck" authenticity of the character throughout the shoot.

The Tarantino Partnership

While Inglourious Basterds was their first official outing together, Brad Pitt and Quentin Tarantino have formed one of Hollywood's most successful actor-director duos.

True Romance (1993): Written by Tarantino, Pitt played the scene-stealing stoner "Floyd."

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019): Pitt won his first acting Oscar for playing Cliff Booth under Tarantino's direction.

Once Upon a Time in Hollywood

Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth

The Ultimate Stuntman

Brad Pitt’s portrayal of Cliff Booth—a war veteran and loyal stunt double to Rick Dalton—is anchored by a "cool, effortless, and mysterious" energy. While the film hints at a dark past involving his wife's death, Pitt famously refused to confirm the character's guilt, choosing instead to let viewers decide for themselves.

🌴 Cliff Booth Trivia

• The "Brad Pitt" Line: Pitt provided one of the film's most iconic lines: "You're Rick f***in' Dalton. Don't you forget it." It was inspired by something an acquaintance used to say to Pitt as encouragement early in his career.
• Doing the Work: Pitt performed many of his own stunts, including the rooftop antenna scene. Quentin Tarantino praised him as one of the few stars who looks completely convincing in action sequences without a double.
• "Pretty" for a Stuntman: The line where Bruce Lee calls Cliff "pretty" was suggested by Burt Reynolds during a script reading. Pitt generally dislikes jokes about his looks, but he couldn't say no to a suggestion from Reynolds.
• Fighting Prep: To prepare for his duel with Bruce Lee, Pitt trained in Filipino martial arts and stick work to improve his "blade awareness" and defensive posture.
• Second Choice?: Pitt initially turned down the role, leading Tarantino to briefly discuss the part with Tom Cruise before Pitt eventually signed on months later.

The Future: "The Adventures of Cliff Booth"

In an upcoming 2026 project, Pitt is set to reprise the character in a sequel titled The Adventures of Cliff Booth. Based on a screenplay by Tarantino, the film will be directed by long-time Pitt collaborator David Fincher.

Explore the Full Review or Trailer

View Official Trailer & Cast Read the Highlight Reel Review

READ HERE »

New Star Trek Pics hit the net....

From MTV

Pics from the new Star Trek movie have peppered the net and I have to say I'm pretty impressed.

Of course like most Trekkers, I do have some reservations, but I'd say that what I've seen so far looks good and the franchise is in capable hands with J.J. Abrams.


From AICN
Interesting...er...I mean "fascinating" that Spock looks so angry here.





From UGO
A look at most of the cast....and some of the production design.




From JoBLO
Bana as the bad guy....perfect. Romulan maybe?



From IGN
Kirk in the ice...climbing away from an escape pod maybe.



From Trek Movie.com
Looks like a starship is in trouble.

Still looking forward to seeing Old School Spock....maybe soon?

READ HERE »