The Expendables 3 (2014)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A veteran mercenary team must face off against a former member who has turned into a ruthless arms dealer.
The story
The story follows the mercenary group known as The Expendables as they come into conflict with ruthless arms dealer Conrad Stonebanks, the Expendables' co-founder, who is determined to destroy the team. The group must navigate a series of dangerous missions, including a high-stakes operation to intercept a shipment of bombs in Somalia. During the mission, they are forced to confront Stonebanks, a man they once trusted but who has since gone rogue. The conflict forces the team to confront their past while facing a formidable and determined enemy who seeks to dismantle their organization entirely.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
The Expendables—led by Barney Ross and formed by Lee Christmas, Gunner Jensen, and Toll Road—extract former member Doctor Death from a dictator’s fortress prison-camp. They recruit him to help intercept a shipment of bombs in Somalia. Upon arrival, they discover the arms trader is Conrad Stonebanks, a rogue former co-founder of the Expendables. After a fierce battle where Stonebanks injures teammate Hale Caesar, the team is forced to retreat. Later, CIA operative Max Drummer tasks Barney with capturing Stonebanks for war crimes. Barney, feeling responsible for Caesar's injuries, disbands the team and recruits a new group of younger mercenaries: John Smilee, Luna, Thorn, and Mars. They eventually track Stonebanks to Bucharest. After a tense standoff and a chase where several members are captured, Barney and his new team eventually reunite with the original members to face Stonebanks in Azmenistan. In a final showdown, the old and new members work together to defeat Stonebanks' forces. After a final hand-to-hand combat, Barney kills Stonebanks. The building explodes, but the team escapes safely. Barney ultimately accepts the new recruits into the team.
- First release year
- 2014
- Runtime (minutes)
- 126
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Patrick Hughes
- Writers
- Creighton Rothenberger · screenplay; Katrin Benedikt · screenplay; Sylvester Stallone · screenplay; Sylvester Stallone · story
- Genres
- action; adventure; thriller
- Themes
- Loyalty; Betrayal; Generational Conflict
- Tone and mood
- Action-packed; Intense
- Setting
- Various locations including a fortress prison-camp, Somalia, the United States, Bucharest, and Azmenistan.
- Premise and plot tags
- Mercenaries; Action; Ensemble Cast
- Franchise connections
- The Expendables
- Content notes
- Violence
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews and faced controversy over its PG-13 rating, which was intended to reach a wider audience but was criticized by fans for reducing the violence.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 35 · scale: 100 · review count: 36
- Awards and nominations
- Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Supporting Actor · Win
- Production trivia
- The film was leaked three weeks before its release.; The film was the lowest-grossing in the franchise until 2023.; The film featured a 'roll call' marketing strategy highlighting the ensemble cast.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…