‘The Expendables 2’: Back and badder than ever

The Expendables 2 (2012)

Directed by Simon West

6.5/10  R

Action movies are where good dialogue goes to die. “The Expendables 2” proves that. The problem is, I don’t care. When it comes to action movies, they’re judged on a different scale than everything else. It’s not about dialogue or acting, but about the quality and the quantity of the action itself. And if “The Expendables 2” proves anything, it’s that as long as you provide the action, your action movie will fare just fine. Besides, where else can you see Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Chuck Norris side by side, shooting Russians to their bloody deaths?

When the Expendables, a rascally gang of mercenaries (besides Stallone, there’s Statham, Crews, Couture, Hemsworth, and Lundgren), are called up for a seemingly simple mission, one of their own is killed and some valuable intel is taken by a group of ruthless Russians (led by Jean-Claude Van Damme). What, did you think they wouldn’t track them down to get the information back and avenge their friend’s death? Yeah, right.

“The Expendables 2” has explosive action from start to finish. That’s the beauty of the action sequel – no need for any set-up before you get right into the shooting and the shouting. Thankfully, Stallone knew to keep his awful script short and let the guns do the talking. And boy, do they. I loved “The Expendables,” but in the sequel the explosions are bigger, the stakes are higher, and the kills are more extravagant. The guys are constantly taking fire, just the way we like it.

More than most action movies lately, the “Expendables” franchise has packed a lot of firepower and a lot of star power, a lethal combination (and, if more stars equals more awesome, the “Expendables 3” release on August 15 will be the best yet!). If you can fast-forward through the short scenes of actionless dialogue or, better yet, just mute your television, you’ll find it hard not to get giddy with excitement watching these action movie stars kicking ass all at once. Yippee-kai-yay!