The Expendables 3

If you want a crime drama that treats its mystery as more than a puzzle, The Expendables 3 is available in Australia on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and in the US on fuboTV and Paramount+ Amazon Channel right now. The length is exactly right for the story it is telling — nothing rushed, nothing dragged out. A 6/10 rating says what the writing already makes obvious: this one works. Watch Sylvester Stallone work — the performance is a masterclass in restraint. Put it on tonight on Netflix and see for yourself.

The Expendables 3 is not trying to be everything to everyone, and that focus is exactly what makes it work. The plotting gives The Expendables 3 its backbone, but it is the characters you come back for. Barney, Christmas and the rest of the team comes face-to-face with Conrad Stonebanks, who years ago co-founded The Expendables with Barney. Stonebanks subsequently became a ruthless arms trader and someone who Barney was forced to kill… or so he thought. Stonebanks, who eluded death once before, now is making it his mission to end The Expendables -- but Barney has other plans. Sylvester Stallone and Jason Statham lead a cast that gives the tension real weight. It was released in 2014. What makes The Expendables 3 hold up is that the resolution matters less than how the characters get there. It knows exactly what it is, and does not try to be anything else.

Crime and mystery fans will find exactly what they are after in The Expendables 3. It rewards viewers regardless of what else is in their watch history. A contained runtime means every scene is doing real work. Sylvester Stallone carries scenes that would sink a lesser production. The resolution feels inevitable rather than arbitrary, which is rarer than it sounds.