Film Review: The Expendables 2

The Expendables 2. Rated MA 15+ (strong action violence). 102 minutes. Directed by Simon West. Screenplay by Richard Wenk and Sylvester Stallone.

Verdict: Hollywood’s action movie royalty blow the place – and everyone in it – to bits. Better than anyone.

Make no mistake. Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Chuck Norris, Dolph Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Jet Li are action movie royalty – and the guilty pleasure of seeing them all sharing the big screen together is impossible to resist. Between them, these men have created some of the most iconic roles in a seemingly endless list of unforgettable movies that includes Rocky, Rambo, The Terminator and Die Hard.

In this sequel to the hugely successful The Expendables (2010), our team of Hollywood heavyweights regroup to ensure a payload of weapons-grade plutonium doesn’t end up in the hands of the tyrannical Jean Vilain (Van Damme). Also along for the ride are Jason Statham, Terry Crews (Terminator Salvation) and Nan Yu (Speed Racer) as Maggie  – while Liam Hemsworth’s fine cameo as ‘Billy the Kid’ is the trigger for all the death and destruction that follows.

West (Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Con Air) and cinematographer Shelly Johnson’s (Jurassic Park III, Captain America: The First Avenger) appear to instinctively understand (and greatly respect) the inherent value of their precious cargo, and the rock solid direction and cinematography never miss an opportunity to let the cast do what they still do better than anyone.

Similarly, Wenk and Stallone’s screenplay ploughs through its big action movie territory in spectacular fashion, with, perhaps not unexpectedly, some genuine laughs along the way (watch out for Schwarzenegger and Willis sending each other up during the airport terminal sequence).

It also needs to be said, however, that this is an especially violent and gory film – with the opening search, rescue and destroy sequence an almost mind-numbingly gruesome affair. By the end of the film, the body count is astronomical – with one weapon-wielding extra after another having been dispatched with astonishingly blood-lusty and equally ruthless efficiency. So don’t say you weren’t warned.

This review was commissioned by the Geraldton Newspaper Group.