The Expendables 2


The Expendables 2 is a 2012 American action film directed by Simon West, written by Richard Wenk and Sylvester Stallone and based on a story by Ken Kaufman, David Agosto and Wenk. Brian Tyler returned to score the film. It is the sequel to The Expendables, and is the second installment in The Expendables franchise. The film stars an ensemble cast of largely action film actors consisting of Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Randy Couture, Terry Crews, Liam Hemsworth, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. In the film, The Expendables undertake a mission which evolves into a quest for revenge against rival mercenary Jean Vilain, who murders one of their own men and threatens the world with a deadly weapon.
Principal photography took place over 14 weeks on an estimated $100 million budget. Film locations included Bulgaria, Hong Kong and New Orleans. Controversy arose over the accidental death of a stuntman and environmental damage caused during filming in Bulgaria.
The film was released in Europe on August 16, 2012, and in North America the following day. The Expendables 2 grossed $315 million worldwide, with its greatest success outside North America. Critics generally considered the film an improvement over its predecessor due to its increased use of humor and action sequences, but its plot and dialogues received criticism. A tie-in downloadable video game was released on July 31, 2012 as a prequel to the events of the film. A sequel titled The Expendables 3 was released on August 15, 2014.

Plot

The Expendables are sent to Nepal to rescue a Chinese businessman who has been captured by the Nepalese militia. The team includes leader Barney Ross, blade expert Lee Christmas, martial artist Yin Yang, weapons specialist Hale Caesar, demolitions expert Toll Road, the unstable Gunner Jensen, and sniper Billy "The Kid," the group's youngest and newest member. They rescue the businessman and the captured Trent Mauser, Ross's rival. Yang leaves the group to escort the businessman back to China.
After returning to New Orleans, Billy tells Barney that he intends to retire at the end of the month and live with his girlfriend, Sophia. Later, Barney is forced to accept a mission from CIA operative Mr. Church to retrieve an item from a downed airplane in Albania. Church sends technical expert Maggie Chan with the team. In Albania, the Expendables retrieve the item but are ambushed by international criminal and arms dealer Jean Vilain, his right-hand man Hector, and his criminal group, the Sangs, who capture Billy and demand the item in exchange for Billy's life. The team gives up the item, but Vilain kicks a knife through Billy's heart and flees with the Sangs by helicopter. Barney recovers a note for Sophia from Billy's body; the team buries their fallen comrade, swearing vengeance on Vilain.
Maggie tells them that the item is a computer, with the location of five tons of refined weapons-grade plutonium in a mine abandoned by the Soviet Union after the Cold War. Vilain intends to retrieve the plutonium and sell it on the black market. The Expendables managed to track the computer's signal and follow Vilain, which leads them to Bulgaria where they stay overnight at an abandoned Russian military base. The next morning, the team is ambushed by the Sangs and a tank. After the Expendables run out of ammunition, they are saved by Barney's old friend, Booker, who quickly eliminates both the Sangs and the tank. Before he departs, Booker informs the group of a nearby village whose residents oppose Vilain. Meanwhile, Hector and Vilain dig up the plutonium and begin collecting it.
In the village, the Expendables find armed women guarding their children from Vilain's forces. The women ask for help because local men are being captured and forced into slavery in the mine, to never return. The Sangs arrive to gather villagers but are ambushed and killed by the Expendables. The team locates Vilain and the mine and attack with their plane, which they crash through the adit to gain entry. They rescue the enslaved miners, but Vilain and Hector escape with plutonium. Vilain detonates charges, causing the mine to collapse and trap both the miners and the Expendables.
Church and Trench arrive, freeing the miners and the team, and join the Expendables to pursue Vilain. The group intercepts Vilain and his men at an airport as he prepares to leave by plane. Joined again by Booker, the Expendables, Trench, and Church engage the Sangs in battle. Christmas decapitates Hector while Barney and Vilain fight hand-to-hand. Barney defeats and stabs Vilain, killing him.
In the aftermath, Barney is given an old Antonov An-2 biplane by Church; Church, Maggie, Booker, and Trench part ways with the team. In France, Sophia discovers a box with a large sum of money and Billy's letter on her doorstep. As the Expendables depart on the plane, they make a final toast to Billy.

Cast

  • Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross:
The Expendables' leader, who was USAF pilot and Marine before becoming a mercenary. Stallone insisted on performing his own stunts, ignoring his doctor's advice after several surgeries to repair a broken back and neck injury he received while filming The Expendables.
  • Jason Statham as Lee Christmas:
The team's knife expert and former SAS soldier. Statham described his character as "kind of a workingman's hero… a guy you'd want to go out and have a beer with."
  • Jet Li as Yin Yang:
The Expendables' hand-to-hand combat expert. Schedule conflicts with Flying Swords of Dragon Gate meant Li could only participate in the film's opening.
  • Dolph Lundgren as Gunner Jensen:
A volatile member of the team with degree in chemical engineering, undone by years of combat stress and drugs abuse. Lundgren's personal history were incorporated into the character's story by Stallone. Lundgren was hesitant to participate in the film based on the first script draft; however, rewrites and additional content for his character changed his mind.
  • Chuck Norris as Booker:
A retired military operative on a mission to save his old teammates. The character's name is an homage to the 1978 action film Good Guys Wear Black, where Norris plays John T. Booker. During the film, Booker claims to have been bitten by a cobra and states that the cobra later died as a result; this is a reference to Chuck Norris facts, satirical factoids about the actor.
  • Randy Couture as Toll Road:
The team's demolitions expert and former wrestler. Couture described his character as "the glue that holds all of these dysfunctional guys together".
  • Terry Crews as Hale Caesar:
The Expendables' barrel-weapons specialist.
  • Liam Hemsworth as Billy the Kid:
An ex-SASR sniper, disenchanted after service in Afghanistan. Hemsworth was confirmed for the role on September 19, 2011. He was cast in The Expendables in a similar role as a different character, but his role was written out of the script. Stallone remained in contact with him, offering him a role in the sequel when production began. Stallone described the character as the next generation of the Expendables, who is not as "cynical as the other team members".
Maggie Chan is CIA agent working for Church who teams with the Expendables to retrieve the lost safe.
  • Jean-Claude Van Damme as Vilain:
The leader of an opposing team of mercenaries known as the Sangs, ex-soldier of French Foreign Legion. Van Damme was intentionally distant from the cast and crew during filming to stay in character. Commenting on the role, Stallone said: "We'll have a big showdown between me and Van Damme, which has been anticipated for a long time, so it should be a good one." Van Damme was offered a role in The Expendables, but ultimately turned it down.
  • Bruce Willis as Church:
A secretive CIA agent. In late August 2010, Stallone expressed an interest in having Willis return in the sequel as a potential "super-villain". Willis was confirmed in a "substantial" role on September 6, 2011, saying, "Hopefully, they'll start shooting it while we're young enough to survive."
  • Arnold Schwarzenegger as Trench:
Ross' arch-rival. Stallone intended to have Schwarzenegger return for a sequel before the release of The Expendables: "If this works, I would love to get him in the next one". Schwarzenegger's involvement was confirmed on September 6, 2011, his "substantial" role expanding a cameo appearance in the original film. He filmed his scenes in four days.
Vilain's right-hand man. Adkins was offered a role in the original film, but turned it down for Undisputed III: Redemption.
The cast is rounded out by Charisma Carpenter, Swedish actress Amanda Ooms as Pilar, opposition leader in the enslaved village, and Nikolette Noel as Billy's wife. Bulgarian mixed martial artist Lyubomir Simeonov has a cameo as one of the Sangs. Tennis pro Novak Djokovic filmed a cameo as himself, but his scenes were cut from the film.
At several stages of development, other actors were pursued for the film. In October 2010, Willis said that Steve Austin would reprise his role as villain Dan Paine. In November 2010, Charlie Sheen was reported to be in consideration for the role of a CIA agent hunting down Willis' Mr. Church. In August 2011, Variety reported that actor and martial artist Donnie Yen was offered a role in the film; however, Yen declined the role because he did not find it intriguing.
In September 2011, Stallone confirmed that he was in talks with Nicolas Cage and John Travolta, and scheduling would be the only obstacle to their involvement. In July 2011, Mickey Rourke was stated to be reprising his role as Tool; by late September it was reported that he had dropped out of the film, and on October 18 this was confirmed. Antonio Banderas was reportedly offered a role, but was unable to participate due to other commitments. Jackie Chan said he had been offered a role, but was forced to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts with CZ12.
On his approach to casting, Stallone said that he was looking for actors who had not experienced recent success in film: "I like using people that had a moment and then maybe have fallen on some hard times and give them another shot. So we're always looking for actors like Michael Biehn and Michael Paré. I like those kinds of guys. Someone did it for me and I like to see if I can do it for them."