You know that feeling when you show up to a high school reunion and half the people you actually wanted to see just... didn't show? That’s basically the vibe of Expend4bles.
By the time the fourth installment of this testosterone-fueled franchise hit theaters in late 2023, the lineup looked a lot more like a "best of the 2000s" list than the legendary 80s icons hall of fame we were used to. Honestly, it was a bit of a shock. We went from having Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Harrison Ford in the mix to... well, a different kind of energy.
The Expendables 4 cast tried to bridge the gap between the old guard and the "new blood." Some of it worked. Some of it? Not so much.
The Veterans: Who Stayed in the Trenches?
There were only four actors who managed to stick it out through all four movies. That’s a small club.
Jason Statham is the undisputed king here. He plays Lee Christmas, the guy who's better with a knife than most people are with a microwave. In this one, he basically took the keys to the franchise. Sylvester Stallone, who created this whole universe, had a much smaller role this time around. He’s still Barney Ross, but he’s more of a guest star. It felt like a "passing of the torch" moment, or maybe just a "Sly is tired of getting bruised" moment.
Then you’ve got Dolph Lundgren as Gunner Jensen. He’s still weird, still volatile, but his character actually had a bit of a soul-searching arc this time. He's sober now. He wears glasses. It’s a strange look for a guy who used to blow things up for breakfast. Randy Couture also returned as Toll Road, the team's demolitions expert. He’s been there since the 2010 original, even if his character never really got the spotlight he deserved.
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The New Blood: Megan Fox and 50 Cent
This is where things got polarizing.
Megan Fox joined the crew as Gina, a CIA operative who happens to be Lee Christmas's girlfriend. Her introduction is pretty intense—she and Statham basically have a domestic dispute that involves high-level MMA grappling. It's a lot. She ends up taking over leadership of the team for a chunk of the movie, which was a big shift for a franchise that usually feels like a "No Girls Allowed" treehouse.
And then there’s 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson). He plays "Easy Day." He’s a former Army Special Forces guy. He brings that 50 Cent energy—lots of guns, lots of frowning.
- Megan Fox: CIA Agent Gina
- 50 Cent: Easy Day
- Tony Jaa: Decha (an absolute legend from Ong-Bak)
- Jacob Scipio: Galan (the son of Antonio Banderas’s character from the third movie)
- Levy Tran: Lash
Adding Tony Jaa was probably the best casting move they made. If you’ve seen his Thai action movies, you know he’s a human highlight reel. He plays Decha, a former Expendable who’s gone "monk-style" but eventually gets back into the fray. His fighting style is a nice break from the "punch-punch-explosion" rhythm of the rest of the film.
The Villain and the Suit
You can't have a movie like this without a proper bad guy. Enter Iko Uwais.
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If you haven't seen The Raid, stop reading this and go watch it. Iko is a martial arts prodigy. In Expendables 4, he plays Suarto Rahmat, an arms dealer with a private army. The fight between him and Statham at the end is basically the reason most people bought a ticket. It’s fast, it’s brutal, and it’s the only time the CGI-heavy movie feels grounded.
On the "official" side, we have Andy Garcia as Marsh. He’s the CIA handler. He looks great in a beret. Without spoiling too much, his character has a bit more going on than just handing out folders and pointing at maps.
The Missing Legends
Why did the Expendables 4 cast feel a bit thin?
Because the heavy hitters stayed home. Arnold Schwarzenegger was very vocal about this. He basically said, "No Sly, no Arnie." Since Stallone was taking a backseat, Schwarzenegger decided he was done with the character of Trench.
We also lost Jet Li (who was barely in the third one anyway), Terry Crews (who didn't return after some public disagreements with the producers), and the younger crew from the third movie like Glen Powell. When you lose that much star power, you have to lean hard on the people you have left.
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The budget was around $100 million, but the movie only made about $51 million worldwide. That’s a "bomb" in Hollywood terms. Critics were pretty mean to it, too. It’s sitting at a 14% on Rotten Tomatoes from critics, though—and this is the weird part—the audience score is much higher, around 70%. People who like these movies just want to see things explode, and the cast delivered that, even if the script was a bit paper-thin.
What's Next for the Team?
Is there going to be an Expendables 5?
It’s tough to say. With those box office numbers, the "franchise is dead" talk is everywhere. But these movies have a weird way of living forever on streaming and VOD. If it does happen, expect Jason Statham to be the lead, Megan Fox to return, and maybe—just maybe—they'll find a way to convince a few more 80s icons to come out of retirement for one last paycheck.
If you’re planning a movie night, here is the move:
- Watch it for the fights: Specifically Tony Jaa and Iko Uwais. They are the MVPs.
- Lower your expectations for CGI: Some of the green screen work looks like it was done on a laptop from 2005.
- Appreciate the Statham/Stallone chemistry: It’s the last time we’ll likely see them together in these roles.
The era of the "Mega Action Ensemble" might be cooling off, but the Expendables 4 cast gave it one last honest shot. It’s loud, it’s messy, and it’s exactly what you expect it to be.
If you want to track down the best physical media versions, look for the 4K Steelbook—it’s actually got some decent behind-the-scenes footage of how they choreographed those Iko Uwais fights. Otherwise, you can catch it on most major streaming platforms where "explosions" is a searchable category.