"Track 'em, find 'em, kill 'em!"
There is one branch of movies that I hope I never lose my love for, and that is the well done action movie. Back in 2010 I saw and didn’t much care for the Sylvester Stallone action-star packed “The Expendables”. When people asked me why I didn’t like it, I always said, it wanted to be a throwback to that 80’s action movies that most of the cast were a part of. I feel they didn’t succeed. There were just too many trademark elements missing.
There is one branch of movies that I hope I never lose my love for, and that is the well done action movie. Back in 2010 I saw and didn’t much care for the Sylvester Stallone action-star packed “The Expendables”. When people asked me why I didn’t like it, I always said, it wanted to be a throwback to that 80’s action movies that most of the cast were a part of. I feel they didn’t succeed. There were just too many trademark elements missing.
“The
Expendables 2” picks up the pieces of the first and blows them all to hell in a
glorious hail of gunfire. I really dug
this movie. It had what the first film
was missing. There was a story worth
following, the villain was more memorable, the action was bigger and better,
but most importantly the movie had heart.
Not a lot, but you don’t need much to keep you invested in the action
even if it is mindless and over the top.
Barney Ross (Stallone) is picked along with his band of mercenaries all from the first film, Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Terry Crews, and Randy Couture, with newcomers Liam Hemsworth and Nan Yu to do an easy recovery job. But it’s never that simple in these movies is it? Something goes wrong and they lose one of their own. I won’t say who, but by the first twenty minutes, if you’ve seen any action moive, you’ll guess which one it is. The best part is that it doesn’t matter, that’s the ‘heart’ that was missing from the first one. It leaves the team hell-bent on revenge. Add to that a way better and probably intentionally more subdued villain by way of JCVD himself (Jean-Claude Van Damme for the non-fans). As well as the bad one-liners that characters steal from them-selves from other films, enter Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and best of all, every moment with Lundgren, from writing out Einstein theories on napkins to throwing chickens around, this is a fantastic movie.
Barney Ross (Stallone) is picked along with his band of mercenaries all from the first film, Dolph Lundgren, Jason Statham, Terry Crews, and Randy Couture, with newcomers Liam Hemsworth and Nan Yu to do an easy recovery job. But it’s never that simple in these movies is it? Something goes wrong and they lose one of their own. I won’t say who, but by the first twenty minutes, if you’ve seen any action moive, you’ll guess which one it is. The best part is that it doesn’t matter, that’s the ‘heart’ that was missing from the first one. It leaves the team hell-bent on revenge. Add to that a way better and probably intentionally more subdued villain by way of JCVD himself (Jean-Claude Van Damme for the non-fans). As well as the bad one-liners that characters steal from them-selves from other films, enter Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger, and best of all, every moment with Lundgren, from writing out Einstein theories on napkins to throwing chickens around, this is a fantastic movie.
What I think
helped this sequel to the Expendables was the direction, having Simon West, an
action director who knows his way around a gun fight ever since his classic
debut of the awesomely fun “Con Air” was the right move. I
appreciate a movie that knows what it is and plays to those strengths. And while “The Expendables 2” is more of a 90’s
action movie with 80’s stars, it works enough to be a really good movie
you’d want on your shelf. Best of all,
they leave room for a part 3. I look
forward to it.
--Robert L.
Castillo
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