If you recall from my review of the first film, I wasn’t a huge fan of the first washed-up action star reunion show. It had its moments and is decent enough for a soulless, mindless popcorn flick but nothing more. As such, I wasn’t expecting much from its follow-up. Surprisingly enough though, The Expendables 2 is a bit goofier and a bit more over-the-top but it is a nice entry into the random action film category.
The idea of a sequel to the first film is not a hard sell since Sylvester Stallone and his band of mercenary misfits are designed to be an autonomous group traversing the world to kill tons of people and woo women. This time around, Stallone’s Barney Ross (did he have a name in the first? I didn’t catch it at least) is tasked by Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) to retrieve a sensitive package from a downed plane. Even though Church describes it as a cake-walk, things are anything but once the villainous Jean-Claude Van Damme shows up to intercept the package. Oh, and that character who says he’s not cut out for this line of work and will leave the team at month’s end? He’s rendered dead by Van Damme giving the rest of the plot a forward boost.
Where the first film had a super-serious tone that, in my opinion, hindered some of the fun and shenanigans, this film veers way in the other direction with lines and moments that seem plucked from most generic action films as well as a hyper-awareness of its stars, mostly courtesy of quips from the extended cameos of Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger. The scenes with those two iconic actors creates an odd juxtaposition with the rest of the movie which is still played a bit too serious considering the massive causalities and property damage that is caused in the name of avenging a character we barely knew.
The appearances from Willis and Schwarzenegger as well as Chuck Norris turn what would be an otherwise standard, if not pretty damn brutal, action film into one that cheats as all of those actors are used in implausible Deus ex machina ways to come to the team’s rescue. The first time Norris walks out of the smoke and haze of a dozen kills to calmly explain his presence is funny but all the subsequent times that happens smack of lazy writing.
In fairness, Stallone and co-writer Richard Wenk succeed in making the film more than just a series of loosely connected gunfights and bloodshed as the story is pretty solid, especially compared to the last film. All of the plot points flow together seamlessly and are even largely compelling. Simon West takes over directing duties from Stallone with a style that is easily described as more conventional yet boring. The numerous action sequences featuring unlimited ammo and unnatural accuracy do their job though as I found myself having a silent celebratory convulsion when a dozen or so random bad guys are eliminated.
It is sad that some of the below-the-line actors such as Randy Couture or Terry Crews got less to do this time around but the ensemble is more or less set unless there are other defectors. The Expendables may not be high art or award-winning films but they have an unmistakable charm that harkens back to the bloody action films of old. And it gives these guys a paycheck so I guess it’s a win-win for everybody.
Comments
Post a Comment