Of the many genres portrayed in cinema there is one that, to me, stands out as being the most impressive. Action films are full of exploding cars, witty one-liners, romantic side-plots and ridiculous coincidences; a combination which makes them perfect for the big screen. At their best, they’re a cacophony of light and noise that will gain the approval of even the most reluctant cinema-goer. At their worst they leave you a tenner out of pocket and with a sense that their vast special effects budget may just as well have been spent on an ornate collection of chocolate teapots.
That’s where The Expendables 2 comes in.
This mind-boggling collection of action-movie stars is lacking in one or two of the finer details that most films take for granted. A plot, for example. Or any significant character development. If I didn’t know better, I’d presume that director Simon West looked at what he had to work with, figured the sheer selling power of the actor’s names would be more than enough to make the film successful, and decided to take an extended lunch break.
He’s probably quite right of course. Stallone, Statham, Li, Norris, Van Damme, Schwarzenegger; the cast list makes for impressive reading. West uses their reputation to full effect, as throughout the movie reference after reference is made to the films that made these actors the household names they are. They even manage to slip in a Chuck Norris fact, providing a genuine laugh amidst the gunfire and bloodshed, which is plentiful from start to finish.
Barely a scene goes by in which one or another of our unlikely heroes doesn’t grab a gun, shout a cliché to the skies, and absolutely annihilate whichever crack-shots they’re up against this time. For all its failings this is one bit the film gets absolutely spot on; pure, honest, out-and-out violence.
There are other flashes of brilliance too. A few attempts are made throughout the film to add a bit of emotion to proceedings. Only one really hits the spot, but it’s a powerful one, and proof that the cast can actually act magnificently when they’re not too busy killing things. A lot can also be taken from the use of real stunts and special effects over CGI; a welcome relief after the rest of 2012’s superhero-dominated summer.
Much like its prequel, The Expendables 2 is all about being dumb fun. It does things backwards; work out some laddish banter and amusing deaths, and let the story sort itself out around that. If you arrive expecting a cinematic masterpiece, you’re in for a rough evening. But if you arrive with the sole intention of seeing as many explosions as is physically possible to fit into 103 minutes, then you’re in for the time of your life. Stallone and Co. might not have made a film with plot, or with characters you can relate to. But as you watch them throwing themselves around and chuckling at each other’s expense, you get the distinct impression that here, just once, that doesn’t really matter.