The icons reload for more mayhem....

Rating: 7/10 (31 August 2012)

Just as they ram their way into the Nepalese stronghold to rescue a prisoner, it's very clear that Stallone and his mercenaries are here to reload on some bad-ass mayhem. With the patriotic tanks demolishing everything in their way, the Expendables use every machine gun, bazooka, helicopter and rifle at their disposal to overcome the stunned soldiers. If that wasn't enough, the ferocity of the action continues into the jungles and on the river where decapitations, kill shots and explosions cause more damage than rest of the film could afford. A simple rescue mission seems like a full blown War and this excess is truly enjoyable with the actors who themselves are excess in such films at their ages. All of this forms one of the most exhilarating opening sequences that spares no time for breathing.
'Expendables 2' is nothing but a big cannon ball. There is no reason for it, there is no justification for the excess and a single person such as Ironman or James Bond could've achieved the same result. But the point is to cause the mayhem that follows its flight from the cannon and then the explosion. That's quite simply, what the characters do when provoked. These iconic action heroes from yesteryears bring a certain machoism that is ferocious. However, the film's strength is that it doesn't take itself too seriously. Nor do the protagonists. In almost a self-deprecating manner, the actors pick on each other and judge each other worthy of being in a museum.
Director Simon West keeps the plot as bare as a forgotten James Bond film. By eliminating character depth, story building, narration and realism, West focuses on the brute force of the actors as they use guns, bombs, rockets, knives and even brass knuckles. He does succeed to some extent but when the guys seem to become unconvincingly serious, those quiet moments will make you feel lost. Rest of the time, they're joking around and casually slaughtering several armed enemies, all while having fun with the gun. The film is reckless in its pace and ruthless in its action. The bloody carnage is complemented in some sort with the cheeky humor with heroic words coming out in a comical manner from Stallone, Bruce Willis, Schwarzenegger, Van Damme and Chuck Norris. This installment is indeed funnier with Schwarzenegger's one-liners and Norris' frivolous yet bad-ass entry.
Barney Ross (Stallone) sets off on a mission, that is directed by Church (Bruce Willis), to retrieve the coordinates to a lost inventory of plutonium that could be devastating in the wrong hands. Aided by Lee (Jason Statham), Gunner (Dolph Lundgren), Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), Toll Road (Randy Couture), Billy (Liam Hemsworth) and Maggie (Nan Yu, who replaces Jet Li), he flies the seaplane half-way around the world and obtains the device only to concede it to Villain (Van Damme), who shrewdly kills Billy and leaves them helpless. Now, while Villain prepares to earn billions by recovering the plutonium, Barney plans a swift and decisive revenge as Churh, Trench (Schwarzenegger) and Booker (Chuck Norris) play their brief roles in assisting the Expendables. "Track 'em, find 'em, kill 'em"is the simple game plan behind the carnage that follows.
Twenty years after their prime, these action icons can still kick some ass and Stallone ensures that the audience gets their money's worth as he participates in a big one-on-one with Van Damme. Willis and Schwarzenegger spend some time in a Smart car with guns and Chuck Norris consistently appears out of nowhere to save the day.
As long as you know what you're getting into when you buy the tickets, you will have a blast. 'Expendables 2' is better than expected in that sense because it is excessive in its force yet funny as it doesn't take itself too seriously. Throw in Steven Seagal, Nicolas Cage, Clint Eastwood, Harrison Ford and Jackie Chan in Expendables 3 and then you're getting some seriously bad-ass mayhem! It maybe dumb, preposterous and over-the-top but with the biggest entertainers in one film, you wouldn't mind one bit.
7.008 on a scale of 1-10.