View of the Vilena in the movie.
Vilena is a very small island nation in South America. It has a population of only six thousand people, and is the main location of the objectives for the mercenaries in the first movie.
In contemporary times, Vilena was ruled by ruthless military dictator General Garza until the Expendables ended his tyrannical rule and liberated the country.
History[]
The country was presumably a democracy before General Garza took over. However, it is presumed that even before Garza took over, the country's money was being hoarded by the government, given the contrast between the government's palace and poor civilian infrastructure. Vilena appears to be a very poor third world country, with rather old military equipment and a majority of its citizens living in poverty, and what was described as a "half-assed government," which was eventually overthrown by Garza.
Reign of Garza[]
Soon, Vilena became a battleground for freedom and tyranny when Garza overthrew the previous government and established himself as a ruthless military dictator and ruled the nation with an iron fist. Garza's militia acted as local thugs and mob enforcers as opposed to being peacekeepers, oppressing the population. Sometime after, rogue CIA agent James Munroe allied himself with Garza in an attempt to seize power for his drug operations.
However, this all changed when The Expendables visited the country and eliminated Munroe, Garza and a majority of Garza's militia, putting an end to Garza's tyrannical rule and allowing Garza's daughter Sandra to restore the country.
Behind the Scenes[]
- There is, of course, no real country of Vilena.
- Scenes that were filmed in Vilena were filmed at various locations in Brazil. Guanabara Bay is the filming location for most coastal scenes.
- The country is probably based on Venezuela since they describe the country as a dictatorship and also the soldiers wear red berets