The Wall-to-Wall Macho Violence of The Expendables 2
With all of its European intrigue, its wild shoot-outs, and its lantern-jawed fighting men, The Expendables 2 reminded me of a 1980s movie. But that movie, alas, is Top Secret.
Top Secret, an Airplane-style spoof of WW II action flicks, was only slightly wilder and more ridiculous than the sequel to Sly Stallone’s surprise 2010 blockbuster and career relaunch. The Expendables 2 features hundreds of interchangeable baddies who repeatedly pop up in front of our heroes, present their chests and heads for strafing, and fall obligingly to the ground in bloody lumps of meat. But E2 is slightly more enjoyable than the crashing, thumping mess that was the original, because it is at least aware of its own absurdity. Also it features more footage of Bruce Willis and Arnold Schwarzenegger, two stars who were barely in the first one and have never been guilty (as Stallone has, many times) of taking themselves too seriously. Put it this way, any movie that features these three actors standing hip to hip blasting away the scum of the earth isn’t all bad.
E2 begins with a robustly choreographed breakout/shootout/chase scene, in which Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, Randy Couture and Jet Li play a gang of buddy-mercenaries sent in to Nepal to rescue a hostage who is about to be tortured. It would be giving away some of the fun to say who they’re after, but as the lads ram into an enemy encampment (with a steel girder affixed to their Hummer on which the words “knock knock” are written), freely express their feelings with ammunition, and use a motorcycle to take down a helicopter (chopper beats chopper), you’ll have your action-movie quota filled and then some. For the ladies, or people not old enough to remember the Reagan years, there is also a new Expendable: 22-year-old Liam Hemsworth, one of the male leads in The Hunger Games.
“22-year-old Liam Hemsworth”
Rats. I had thought it was going to be Chris “Thor” Hemsworth.
Positive it won’t be a “great” movie. But it will be good for what it’s worth. A balls to the wall action movie.
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I just came back from seeing it and . . .
Awesome review.
100% spot on about everything in the movie.
I might add that the acting was so wooden they didn’t have a dialogue coach but a fluffer.
Seriously, the plot is so feeble it is rather amazing they bothered putting so much to in just so they could string together the scenes of the characters killing everything in sight.
Still, as a 40-plus man, I loved every bit of it, especially the cheap gags and ultra-gratuitous ultra-violence.
If that’s enough for you, then this is definitely the movie for you.
So, it’s macho, violent, and the feminists have to sit on the sidelines … Sounds great to me!
Movies made for men…:)
Saw it, it was great. I’m 67 and any movie that has a bunch of older guy that kick that much butt is great! Felt as proud and good as I did when I saw Stallone win in Rocky I. May go back to see it again, after I workout. Hoowah!
I think the box office for this film will show exactly what people would want done with those that want to destroy Israel and do us harm.
Reminds me of the TV series 24. The Death Wish movies, or any media entertainment where the good guys go out and actively destroy the bad goes.
If only we would unleash our military to do so, instead of being asked to fight a PC war, with hands tied behind their backs.
If I was commander, and had to send troops into harm’s way, it would be accompanied by massive support and great destruction, reminescent of Sherman’s march to the sea in the Civil War, where the reports I read were that he torched a path 60 miles wide, bringing the horror of war to the people and looking to make war the instrument to end any other war.
You had me at “wall-to-wall macho violence.”
Act of Valor, Obama: 2016, and Expendables II. Things are coming around!
Can’t wait till it gets to Netflix. I loved the first one and I’m sure I’ll love this one. I watch movies to be entertained and killing bad people is very entertaining to me- I do it myself if the situation arises.
Macho???
Dont know.
Stalones moustache.
Very ymca. Lol
This must have been the inspiration.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Bronson_1973.jpg
It was blow ‘em up, beat ‘em up, shoot ‘em up fun! The little jokes about themselves and each other were great too. Great cinema – no. Great fun – yes.
And, Good Lord above – those Hemsworth boys are awesome Aussie imports!
[disclaimer: 30something female]