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Quotes from The Expendables by Character[]

Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone)[]

[first lines of the film] Barney Ross: We are the shadows and the smoke, we rise. We are the ghosts that hide in the night. oh

Pirate leader: Drop your guns!
Lee Christmas: Fat chance.
Barney Ross: Why do they always say that?

Dan Paine: Who sent you?
Barney Ross: Your hairdresser.

The Expendables (2010)[edit][]

Main article: The Expendables (2010 film)

The Expendables, a group of elite mercenaries who carry out all sorts of missions, ranging from assassination to rescue, are deployed to a South American island, Vilena, to overthrow a Latin American dictator, General Garza, who is interfering with the plans of a group of "people" led by a man known only as Mr. Church. However, the team leader, Barney Ross, soon realizes that Garza is merely a puppet being controlled by a ruthless rogue CIA officer, James Monroe, who is Mr. Church's real target.

The Expendables 2 (2012)[edit][]

Main article: The Expendables 2

A while after the first film, the Expendables accept another mission from Mr. Church to make up for losses caused by the mission in Vilena, but they end up in a conflict with a rival mercenary group, the Sangs, and their newest and youngest member is murdered by their leader, Jean Vilain. Ross swears vengeance on Vilain for his protegƩ's death and starts to track him down, in the process learning that Villain threatens the world with five tons of weapons grade plutonium he intends to excavate from an abandoned Soviet mine and sell to the highest bidder.

The Expendables 3 (2014)[edit][]

Main article: The Expendables 3

The Expendables come face to face with the team's co-founder Conrad Stonebanks. Ross was forced to kill Stonebanks after he became a ruthless arms trader, but Stonebanks survived and has now made it his mission to destroy The Expendables. Ross resorts to recruiting a new and younger generation of Expendables to help the team overcome his old adversary.

The Expendables 4 (2023)[edit][]

The Expendables 5 (2025)[]

Main article: The Expendables 4 and The Expendables 5

Trench: Oh, like I said. I'm busy anyway, so give this job to my friend here. He loves playing in the jungle. Right?
Barney Ross: [sarcastically] Right.
Mr. Church: [Uncertain] That's right.
Trench: [to Barney] Hey, why don't we have dinner?
Barney Ross: Sure. When?
Trench: In a thousand years?
Barney Ross: Too soon.
[Trench walks off]
Mr. Church: [Confused; about Trench] What's his fucking problem?
Barney Ross: He wants to be president.

Paine: How many men you got?
Barney Ross: Just your mother!

Trench: Have you been sick? You've lost weight.
Barney Ross: Whatever I've lost you've found, pal.

Film U.S. release date Director Screenwriter(s) Story by Producers Status
The Expendables August 13, 2010 Sylvester Stallone David Callaham & Sylvester Stallone David Callaham Avi Lerner, John Thompson & Kevin King-Templeton Released
The Expendables 2 August 17, 2012 Simon West Richard Wenk & Sylvester Stallone Ken Kaufman, David Agosto & Richard Wenk Avi Lerner, Les Weldon, Danny Lerner & Kevin King-Templeton
The Expendables 3 August 15, 2014 Patrick Hughes Katrin Benedikt, Sylvester Stallone & Creighton Rothenberger Sylvester Stallone Avi Lerner, Les Weldon, Danny Lerner, John Thompson & Kevin King-Templeton
The Expendables 4 September 22, 2023 Scott Waugh Max Adams & Spenser Cohen Spenser Cohen Avi Lerner, Les Weldon, Yariv Lerner, Jason Statham, Jeffrey Greenstein & Kevin King-Templeton Post-production
The Expendables

5

September 22, 2025 Scott Waugh Max Adams & Spenser Cohen Spenser Cohen Avi Lerner, Les Weldon, Yariv Lerner, Jason Statham, Jeffrey Greenstein & Kevin King-Templeton Post-production


Barney Ross: [In the middle of a car chase] Get out there!
Yin Yang: Why me?
Barney Ross: Because you're smaller!

Gunnar Jensen (Dolph Lundgren)[]

Gunnar Jensen (about to fight Yin Yang): What do you wear, size 3? Bring it, happy feet.

Gunnar Jensen: Warning shot!
Barney Ross: Gunnar don't!
Gunnar Jensen: [Fires his M79 Grenade Launcher at the pirate and blows him in half] Whoops! Aimed a little low.

Barney Ross: What the hell's he doing?
Lee Christmas: Hanging a pirate.
Barney Ross: Don't be ridiculous. Gunnar! What are you doing?
Gunnar Jensen: Hanging a pirate!

Gunnar Jensen: [Threatening The Brit] If you don't want that Fu Manchu knocked back into the 60's, you'd better keep your gum-chewing trap shut and show some respect!

Lee Christmas (Jason Statham[]

(in the middle of a mexican standoff, a faint buzzing sound can be heard)
Barney Ross: What's that?
Lee Christmas: I'm getting a text.
Barney Ross: Excuse me?


Lee Christmas: [after beating up Lacy's abusive boyfriend and his friends on a basketball court; and after deflating a basketball with a knife on his chest] Next time, I'll deflate all your balls, friend.


[last lines] Lee Christmas: I'm gonna do you a favor, Tool. "I once knew a man called Tool/To me, was the epitome of cool/He was good with a knife/Bad with a wife/But to think he could beat me/Dreaming he'd defeat me/Cool Tool/You gotta be a fool."

Mr. Church (Bruce Willis)[]

Mr. Church: Only thing you need to know is the job's real, and the money's real.

Barney Ross: I got a feeling everyone else passed on this job, so our fee is $5 mil.
Mr. Church: $5 mil?
Barney Ross: And I want half upfront, and the other half in an offshore account. You got a problem with that?
Mr. Church: No. What I have a problem with is people who try to fuck me over. So if you take this money and you don't deliver, or you try to fuck me in some kind of weird cockamamie scheme of yours, me and my people are gonna come get you and your people and chop you up into little fucking dog treats. You got a problem with that?
Barney Ross: Let's talk.

Tool (Mickey Rourke)[]

Tool: I promised myself, I'm gonna die for something that counts.

Tool: [to Lee] I got a great idea. Why don't you let me doodle, like, a Charlotte's web on your head? On the top of your head. You know, something different, something exciting. 'Cause you got one of them perfectly shaped domed, muscular heads. I could put a web on the top of the head. Maybe a pregnant Charlotte coming out of your ear, peeking around, making sure them bugs don't come inside. Her long legs dangling down your neck. Yeah. Sexy, right?
Barney Ross: Very sexy. He looks thrilled.

Trent "Trench" Mauser (Arnold Schwarzenegger)[]

Trench: Only an idiot would do this job.
Barney Ross: How much?
Trench: Like I said.

Hale Caesar (Terry Crews)[]

Hale Caesar: Great, they got a small army. What have we got?
[looks at Yin Yang]
Hale Caesar: Four and a half men.
[Everyone but Yin Yang laughs]
Yin Yang: Not so funny.

Hale Caesar: [after taking out a number of soldiers while his team is behind cover] Remember this shit at Christmas!

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