Levinson: Forget sexy — new film will bring badass back

Badass.

Let the word soak in for a bit. What does it mean? Is it a person who we glorify and… Badass.

Let the word soak in for a bit. What does it mean? Is it a person who we glorify and can only dream to be one day? Maybe more of a man or woman who will do whatever it takes to accomplish his goal. Perhaps it’s just a dude or dudette with whom you shouldn’t mess.

But in movies, does badassery eventually fade? Once an actor reaches 65, is he no longer a big-screen badass?

Hell no.

Several days ago, the official trailer for “Harry Brown” stormed the Internet.

Directed by newcomer Daniel Barber, the movie stars 76-year-old Michael Caine as not Bruce Wayne’s butler, but rather a man out for gruesome revenge against a group of London punks who kill his best friend.

Caine has been a badass from the beginning — see 1971’s “Get Carter” to truly appreciate Caine’s macho instincts. Even though there have been only a few similar roles throughout his career (i.e., “Miss Congeniality” and “Bewitched”), Caine certainly still has that tough guy in him.

The plot line isn’t original, but it’s always fun to watch older actors kicking ass. For instance, 2008’s “Taken” had an older Liam Neeson, reaping vengeance after his daughter is kidnapped overseas.

A more worthy example of elderly revenge, though, comes from Clint Eastwood in 2008’s “Gran Torino.”

Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a widow living alone in a violent area of Detroit. Kowalski is introduced as a stereotypical racist septuagenarian. But after meeting his young Hmong neighbor, Kowalski becomes slightly less racist.

Did I mention that Kowalski is a Korean War veteran — a badass Korean War veteran?

Nothing is more entertaining than watching helpless old men fight to prove that those liver spots don’t define who they are. It’s the amount of violence that they create that defines their lives.

Maybe it is also a sign that our Hollywood heroes are just getting older. Did you know that Jackie Chan is older than 50?

And I would much rather prefer Robert De Niro, the man from “Goodfellas,” “Raging Bull” and “Taxi Driver” to play the badass he is, no matter his age.

Even if Robert Pattinson gained some muscle mass, De Niro could still beat him to a pulp.

But it was only a matter of time before all of the aging A-list action stars joined forces to create one ultimate cinematic demigod eligible for AARP.

I’m talking about “The Expendables.”

The cast list of the movie, expected to come out next August, seems to have only one requirement to star in it: You must be able to kill someone with

your bare hands.

Sylvester Stallone stars in “The Expendables” as the leader of a team of mercenaries sent to South America to overthrow a dictator.

Included in this team are Jason Statham (“Crank,” “The Transporter” and “The Italian Job”), Jet Li, Mickey Rourke (“The Wrestler”), Bruce Willis, Stone Cold Steve Austin and the governator himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger.

These actors’ combined ages probably exceed 350 years, but together they could make up a small militia. It just goes to show that age doesn’t matter in Hollywood anymore.

Even when Brad Pitt is 80 years old, he will still be making movies. Heck, Jack Nicholson does.

Even in the directing world, age is no longer a factor.

Woody Allen continues to make movies, even if he has to make them in South America because no U.S. studio will fund them anymore.

Older celebrities will always hold a place in Hollywood — well, as long as they don’t botch up their face in some crazy plastic surgery mess. Carrot Top, I’m talking to you.