In 2010, Sylvester Stallone unleashed every fanboy's testosterone-infused paradise upon the world - The Expendables: A no-holds, ensemble action tribute to the ultra-violent 80s serials, featuring many big names in the genre. It's easily a dude's answer to Sex and the City. While a fun film, I felt it needed a little extra *oomph* in the action sequences and less of the banal, double-digit IQ verbal exchanges. Two years later, Stallone somehow answered my nitpicky criticisms with The Expendables 2 a rare instance of a sequel that bests the original in every way possible. The coup de grâce (and I'm not ashamed of SPOILING this) being a trifecta shootout in the finale with the owners of Planet Hollywood themselves:
If this scene doesn't convince you to see the film, then I don't know what will. I'm convinced at least half the American male population has been waiting for this moment in film history.
And then, there's Chuck Norris (cue: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly theme):
...need I say more? The man appears in two scenes, but they're a killer (pun absolutely intended).
Now, onto the plot - Without elaborating too much (because honestly, who watches these films for plot?), Sly gets together the old gang once again to take on what is supposedly an "easy job" somewhere in the deserted mining towns of Albania. The mercenaries excursion goes fine until their newest and youngest recruit is ruthlessly whacked by Jean-Claude "The Muscles from Brussels" Van Damme, himself. Fixated on revenge (and wanting the item they came looking for, now stolen by Van Damme), the mercs go to town by doing what they do best - shooting first, and asking questions later. Ironically, violence is the answer to all their problems in this bullet-riddled fantasy.
This sequel has a lot going for it. Aside from the new cast members, the action is easily doubled from the first film, and the one-liners are much more in-tune with the stylings of Governor Schwarzenegger's work in the late-1980s. There's even a few nods to every cast member's previous works, typically in the dialogue. Moreover, I got a better sense of adventure, and even...um...character development than the first film. Sure, Expendables 2 isn't going to win any Academy Awards (at least in the artistic categories), but I'm sure that's not why people would go see it in the first place. I'm happy to say that as an action film, it was one of my favorites of the year, and it was nice to see the summer movie season of 2012 go out with a bang, in both senses of the word.
8/10
Peace,
- Jon
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