The Expendables 2 | |
---|---|
![]() Comic-Con poster
|
|
Directed by | Simon West |
Produced by |
|
Screenplay by | Richard Wenk Sylvester Stallone |
Story by | Ken Kaufman David Agosto Richard Wenk |
Based on | Characters by David Callaham |
Starring | |
Music by | Brian Tyler |
Cinematography | Shelly Johnson |
Editing by | Todd E. Miller |
Studio | |
Distributed by | Lionsgate |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 103 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $100 million[2] |
Box office | $312 million[3] |
The Expendables 2 is a 2012 American ensemble 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 a sequel to the 2010 action film The Expendables, and stars 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. The story follows the mercenary group known as "the Expendables" as they undertake a seemingly-simple mission which evolves into a quest for revenge against rival mercenary Jean Vilain, who murdered one of their own and threatens the world with a deadly weapon.
Principal photography took place over 14 weeks (beginning in September 2011) 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 over $300?million worldwide, with its greatest success outside North America. Critics generally considered the film an improvement over its predecessor (citing an increased use of humor and action scenes), but its plot and dialogue received negative reviews. A tie-in downloadable video game was released on July 31, 2012 as a prequel to the events of the film. A sequel, tentatively titled The Expendables 3, is in production as of November 2012.
The Expendables?leader Barney Ross (Sylvester Stallone), knife specialist Lee Christmas (Jason Statham), hand-to-hand combat specialist Yin Yang (Jet Li), heavy-weapons specialist Hale Caesar (Terry Crews), demolitions expert Toll Road (Randy Couture), the unstable Gunner Jensen (Dolph Lundgren), and sniper Billy the Kid (Liam Hemsworth) (the team's newest recruit, and Ross' prot?g?)?are deployed to Nepal to rescue Dr. Zhou, a hostage. They also rescue the captured mercenary Trench (Arnold Schwarzenegger), Ross' rival. Yang leaves the group to escort Zhou back to China.
After returning to New Orleans, Billy tells Ross that he intends to retire at the end of the month and live with his girlfriend Sophia. Later, Ross is forced to accept a mission from CIA operative Mr. Church (Bruce Willis) to retrieve an item from a downed airplane in Albania. Church sends technical expert Maggie Chan (Yu Nan) with the team. In Albania the Expendables retrieve the item, but are then ambushed by international criminal and arms dealer Jean Vilain (Jean-Claude Van Damme), his right-hand man Hector (Scott Adkins) and his mercenary group (the Sangs), who have captured Billy. Vilain demands the item in exchange for Billy's life. The team gives up the item, but Vilain stabs Billy through the heart and flees with the Sangs by helicopter. Ross recovers a note for Sophia from Billy's body; the team buries their fallen comrade, swearing revenge on Vilain.
Maggie tells them that the item is a computer, with the location of five tons of refined plutonium abandoned in a mine by the Soviet Union after the Cold War. Vilain intends to retrieve the plutonium and sell it. The Expendables are able to weakly track the computer's signal and follow Vilain, who leads them to Bulgaria where they stay overnight at an abandoned Russian military base. Next morning, the team is ambushed by the Sangs and a tank. After the Expendables run out of ammunition, they are saved by Booker (Chuck Norris) (Ross' old friend), who quickly eliminates both the Sangs and the tank. Before he departs, Booker informs the group of a nearby village whose residents dislike Vilain. Meanwhile, Hector and Vilain dig up the plutonium and begin collecting it.
In the village, the Expendables find several armed female villagers guarding their children from Vilain's forces. The local inhabitants are taken and put to work as slaves in the mine, never returning, and the women plead for the Expendables' help. The Sangs arrive for more villagers, but are ambushed by the Expendables and killed. After locating Vilain and the mine, the team assaults the area with their plane before deliberately crashing into the mine. The team saves the enslaved miners from execution, but Vilain and Hector escape with the plutonium. Vilain remotely detonates explosive charges in the mine; it collapses, trapping 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 Ross and Vilain fight hand-to-hand. Ross defeats Vilain, stabbing him and avenging Billy.
In the aftermath, Ross is given an old biplane by Church; Church, Maggie, Booker and Trench then leave the team. In France, Sophia (Nikolette Noel) discovers a box on her doorstep with a large sum of money and Billy's letter. As the Expendables depart in the plane, they propose a final toast to Billy.
The cast is rounded out by Charisma Carpenter (reprising her role as Christmas's girlfriend, Lacy),[31] Swedish actress Amanda Ooms as Pilar, opposition leader in the enslaved village[32] and Nikolette Noel as Sophia, Billy's girlfriend.[33] Bulgarian mixed martial artist Lyubomir Simeonov has a cameo as one of the Sangs.[34] Tennis pro Novak Djokovic filmed a cameo as himself (after being invited to participate by producer Avi Lerner), but his scenes were cut from the film.[35][36]
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.[21] In November 2010, Charlie Sheen was reported to be in consideration for the role of a CIA agent hunting down Willis' Mr. Church.[37] 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.[38]
In September 2011 Stallone confirmed that he was in talks with Nicolas Cage[15] and John Travolta,[2][5][39] and scheduling would be the only obstacle to their involvement.[15] In July 2011 Mickey Rourke was stated to be reprising his role as Tool;[5] by late September it was reported that he had dropped out of the film,[40] and on October 18 this was confirmed.[41] Antonio Banderas was reportedly offered a role, but was unable to participate due to other commitments.[42] Jackie Chan said he had been offered a role, but was forced to turn it down due to scheduling conflicts with Chinese Zodiac.[43]
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 Par?. I like those kinds of guys. Someone did it for me and I like to see if I can do it for them."[15]
Plans for a sequel to The Expendables were in place before the film's release in August 2010;[44] Stallone said, "I have an idea ready to go...I'm going to try to do something that's quite radical".[45] In an interview in August 2010 he noted that he did not have a new script yet, but "It's plotted out in my mind's eye."[46] On April 18, 2011, Stallone confirmed that he would not be repeating his directing duties in The Expendables, making a list of directors to serve as his replacement.[47] In April 2011, the film was given a scheduled release date of August 17, 2012[48] and a teaser poster for the film was released at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.[49] In June 2011, Simon West was confirmed as director.[50]
In August 2011, it was reported that Nu Image/Millennium Films was in negotiations with an unnamed Chinese distributor. The distributor would produce the film, in exchange for a Chinese actor (Donnie Yen) being cast and filming in China. The partnership was considered to make a Chinese release of the film easier,[51] and would have granted Millennium Films a larger share of its Chinese revenue.[52] However, the partnership fell apart before production began.[52] Lionsgate Films purchased the North American and United Kingdom distribution rights to the film for $35?million.[53]
On January 19, 2012 Stallone stated that the film was being aimed at a PG-13 audience. Unlike the first film (which was restricted to viewers over age 17), this would have made the sequel available to all viewers over 13 years of age (and younger children, with parental consent). The reported change received a negative reception.[54][55] Speaking to Ain't It Cool News about the change, Stallone said "The PG-13 rumor is true, but before your readers pass judgement, trust me when I say this film is large in every way and delivers on every level."[54] It was reported that the change was requested by Norris before he would take part in the film, because he did not appreciate the swearing in the script.[56] However, these plans for a more family-friendly rating did not succeed and the finished film was rated R. When the adult-oriented rating was confirmed shortly before release, West stated that "the shooting style and the dialogue, from day one, it was R-rated."[55]
Van Damme redesigned his and Stallone's final fight, with Stallone's approval. Van Damme was unhappy with the scripted fight, which had his character running away and only a brief confrontation between the pair. He felt that the audience wanted a longer fight scene between the two actors.[57]
On a budget of $100?million,[2] the shooting of The Expendables 2 began on September 29, 2011 and took 14 weeks.[58][40] Filming took place largely in Bulgaria: at the Nu Boyana Film studio in Sofia, the city of Plovdiv and the town of Bansko.[5][58][59] One of the film's larger set pieces took place at Bulgaria's second-largest airport (in Plovdiv), including gunfights, explosions and car chases throughout the terminal.[58] On October 27, 2011, while the second-unit stunt team was filming at the Ognyanovo reservoir 15 miles (24 km) from Sofia, stuntman Kun Liu was killed and another (Nuo Sun), was critically injured in a staged explosion on a rubber boat. Sun underwent a five-hour operation, which left him in stable condition.[60][61]
Filming also took place at Devetashka Cave in Lovech Province.[62] As part of the cave shoot, BGN600,000 ($408,762) was spent rebuilding a 114 metres (125 yd) bridge from the cave over the Osam River; only the concrete bridge columns remained from the original structure. Nu Boyana Film Studios announced that the bridge would remain after filming, as a gift to Bulgaria.[63]
Other filming locations included Hong Kong and New Orleans,[58] and filming was completed by December 25, 2011.[64] On February 9, 2012, it was reported that The Expendables 2 was in post-production.[65]
On November 16, 2011, the production received a fine (between $343?$3,440) from the Bulgarian environmental protection agency for unlawfully removing shrubs and small trees from the entrance of Devetashka Cave. Although permits had been obtained allowing sets to be built in the area (including a bridge to the cave), environmentalists complained that filming could damage the cave (home to about 40 endangered species). To avoid further problems, the producers agreed not to film explosions, car chases and fires near the cave.[62]
However, later that month Bulgarian environmentalists claimed that the bat population in the cave had been reduced by up to 75% (from about 30,000 in 2010 to 8,000 in 2011). Nikolay Simov of the Center for Bat Studies and Protection at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences blamed The Expendables 2's production for the reduction.[66] On January 16, 2012, the Veliko Tarnovo Appellate Prosecutor's Office overturned a ruling by its Lovech equivalent to prevent an investigation of an "excessive" number of dead bats found in the cave after filming (including several endangered species). The European Commission became involved, contacting the Bulgarian Ministry of Environment and Waters for information about the dead bats; the Bulgarian Ministry and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences conducted their own probe, claiming that the bat kill was within normal parameters. The Veliko Tarnovo Appellate claimed that the Lovech Environmental Ministry failed to investigate violations made by The Expendables 2's crew.[67] On February 23, 2012, a Bulgarian court ruled that the crew violated its filming license.[68] In July 2012 the family of Kun Liu (the stuntman killed during filming) filed a wrongful-death suit against the producers of the film, Nu Image and Millennium Films, and stunt coordinator Chad Stahelski; the suit alleged that conditions for the stunt were unsafe.[69]
The Expendables 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack | |
---|---|
Soundtrack album by Brian Tyler | |
Released | August 14, 2012 |
Genre | Soundtrack |
Label | Lionsgate Records |
Brian Tyler composed the score for The Expendables 2, also scoring the original film. His 14-song score combined percussion and electronic elements with orchestral music, and was released as The Expendables 2: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack by Lionsgate Records on iTunes on August 14, 2012.[70][71] Several popular songs also appear in the film, including "The Wanderer" by Dion DiMucci, "Mustang Sally" by Mack Rice, "Crystal Blue Persuasion" by Tommy James the Shondells, "Groovin'" and "Beautiful Morning" by The Young Rascals, "Rip It Up" by Little Richard, "I Just Want to Celebrate" by Rare Earth, and "You Don't Want to Fight with Me" by Stallone's younger brother Frank Stallone.[72] Empire's Danny Graydon awarded the soundtrack a score of 4 out of 5, and said "Tyler?s action fare is, as ever, superbly judged, mixing real thrills with some dramatic weight... resulting in a score that is affectionately nostalgic and not riddled with clich?." Graydon singled out the songs "Party Crashers" and "Track 'Em Find 'Em Kill 'Em" for praise.[73]
No. | Title | Artist | Length | |
---|---|---|---|---|
1. | "The Expendables Return" | Brian Tyler | 4:40 | |
2. | "Fists Knives and Chains" | Brian Tyler | 3:05 | |
3. | "Track 'Em Find 'Em Kill 'Em" | Brian Tyler | 4:54 | |
4. | "Making an Entrance" | Brian Tyler | 4:08 | |
5. | "Respect" | Brian Tyler | 3:58 | |
6. | "Rest in Pieces" | Brian Tyler | 2:55 | |
7. | "Preparations" | Brian Tyler | 3:15 | |
8. | "Party Crashers" | Brian Tyler | 5:19 | |
9. | "Rescue" | Brian Tyler | 4:43 | |
10. | "Countdown" | Brian Tyler | 4:25 | |
11. | "Bad Way to Live" | Brian Tyler | 3:41 | |
12. | "Vilain" | Brian Tyler | 2:42 | |
13. | "Dueling Blades" | Brian Tyler | 4:32 | |
14. | "Escape" | Brian Tyler | 4:28 |
The film premiered on August 8, 2012 in Madrid, Spain,[74] followed by premieres in Paris on August 9,[75] London on August 13[76] and Hollywood on August 15.[77] The film was first released on August 16, 2012,[76] with its North American release the following day.
The Expendables 2 earned $85,022,292 (28.3%) in North America and $215,400,000 (71.7%) in markets elsewhere, for a worldwide total of $300,422,292.[78] This made it the 21st-highest-grossing film of 2012.[79]
In the week before its release, North American pre-release tracking estimated that the film would gross between $30?$38?million, making it the number-one film during its opening weekend.[53][80] Other tracking showed that up to 17% of North American audiences were reluctant to visit cinemas following the mass shootings in a Colorado cinema in late July 2012, which might affect ticket sales.[81] The Expendables 2 earned $10.5?million on its opening day;[81] during its opening weekend, the film earned $28.59?million in 3,316 theaters (an average of $8,622 per theater) finishing as the weekend's number-one film. The gross was 18% lower than The Expendables' $34.8?million opening in 2010. The largest demographic for its opening weekend was male (63%) over age 25 (65%).[78][82] During its second weekend, the movie held the number-one spot with $13.4?million.[83] By its third weekend, analysis showed that the film's gross had fallen behind the original at the same time in its release by $16?million.[84]
Outside North America the film grossed $24.7?million during its opening weekend (August 17?19) in 18 markets, including Italy ($1.9?million), Mexico, Russia ($8?million) and the United Kingdom ($3?million).[85][86] The following weekend (August 24?26) it expanded to a total of 36 markets?including France ($6.1?million), Spain ($2.3?million) and India ($1.8?million)?and grossed approximately $25.9?million to remain the number-one film.[87] The film also had successful September opening weekends in Germany ($4.2?million), Brazil ($3.7?million) and Australia ($3.1?million).[88] Over the September 14?16 weekend, the film's total gross increased to $186?million, outperforming the original film's $171?million.[89] The film was also successful in China, where it grossed approximately $54?million in its first 35 days?making it the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2012 in the country and outperforming The Dark Knight Rises ($52.5?million) and The Amazing Spider-Man ($48.5?million).[52]
The film garnered a 66% approval rating from 119 critics?? an average rating of 5.8 out of 10?? on the review-aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes, whose consensus was "Taut, violent, and suitably self-deprecating, The Expendables 2 gives classic action fans everything they can reasonably expect from a star-studded shoot-'em-up ? for better and for worse."[90] Metacritic gave it a score of 51 (out of 100) from 28 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.[91] CinemaScore polls reported that moviegoers gave the film an average grade of A? on an A -to-F scale, compared to The Expendables' B .[44][81]
Boxoffice's Amy Nicholson compared the film to Fast Five as an "over-the-top sequel [that] caters to the lowest common denominator in the best possible way", appreciating the characters' unique facets and the use of references from the actors' other films. Of the action scenes, Nicholson said "they're glorious nonsense, a guns-blazing bullet barrage".[92] The Hollywood Reporter's Justin Lowe called the film "taut, humorous and attractively packaged". Lowe considered Schwarzenegger's brief role to have the most memorable dialogue, noting that he stole any scene in which he was present. Of the action choreography, he said that West's direction and the cinematography of Shelly Johnson "never disappoints".[93] Variety's Justin Chang appreciated the self-referential humor in each actor's film history and the violent action scenes; however, he felt the scenes were undermined by poor editing and a "grimy" visual scheme throughout the film. Chang commented that the "thrill" of seeing all the actors on screen mitigated plot issues.[94]
Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum said West's action direction improved upon the previous film's direction by Stallone. Schwarzbaum considered that the film "excellent crap, fine junk, an exercise in campy movie nostalgia", commenting that while she did not consider the film artistic, she found it enjoyable.[95] USA Today's Claudia Puig considered the shift from the serious tone of the original to an emphasis on humor to be entertaining. Puig said the film was "corny, barbaric and sometimes visually murky. But humor and self-deprecating macho charm make this male pattern badness crowd-pleasing fun."[96] The New York Times' Neil Genzlinger judged the film "pleasantly-dumb fun if you watch with the right mindset", but considered its dialog "embarrassing" (if intended seriously) and the plot formulaic.[97] Rolling Stone's Peter Travers gave the film two (out of four) stars, saying that the film was not even "big, dumb fun" and criticizing the script; it did not "so much defy credulity as bludgeon it to death."[98]
The Daily Telegraph's Robbie Collin gave the film three (out of five) stars. He appreciated the use of stunts and special effects over computerized effects, stating that it "gives proceedings a flame-grilled authenticity". Collin added, "I was thoroughly appalled, mainly at myself for enjoying it."[99] Empire's Nick de Semlyen was more critical, labeling it a "huge, bulging disappointment". Semlyen criticized the plot and what he judged the overuse of references, set pieces and dialogue from the cast's filmography without creating memorable moments of its own. Semlyen praised Van Damme's "grandstanding, plutonium-crazed baddie" and Lundgren?s "action-troll" as high points.[100] The Village Voice's Nick Pinkerton found the violence creative, but said that the film was negatively impacted by self-referencing, "joyless one-line nods" and "outright cash-in cynicism" (referring to cameo appearances by some of the actors).[101]
The Expendables 2 was released on DVD, Blu-ray disc and digital download on November 20, 2012.[102] The Blu-Ray disc edition contains the theatrical cut of the The Expendables 2, a DVD and digital copy of the film and supplemental material including a director's commentary, deleted scenes, a gag reel and four featurettes about the film: Gods of War: Assembling Earth's Mightiest Anti-Heroes; Big Guns, Bigger Heroes: The 1980s and the Rise of the Action Film; On the Assault: The Real-Life Weaponry of The Expendables and Guns for Hire: The Real Expendables.[103] The Blu-Ray disc version is the first film release to support the 11.1-channel DTS Neo:X sound format.[104]
The Expendables 2 Videogame is a downloadable four-player cooperative shoot 'em up video game. It was published by Ubisoft for PC, PlayStation Network (PSN) and Xbox Live Arcade (XBLA) and released on July 31, 2012 for PSN and August 20 for PC (via Steam) and XBLA. The game's plot is a prequel to The Expendables 2, with Barney Ross, Gunner Jensen, Yin Yang and Hale Caesar appearing as playable characters.[105][106][107] Lundgren and Crews voiced their respective characters.[108] According to review aggregators Metacritic and GameRankings, the game received generally negative reviews.[109][110]
The Expendables 2: Deploy Destroy is a single-player tower defense, real-time strategy online game. Published by Roadshow Films and Soap Creative, the game was released on July 13, 2012. Its plot was derived from village scenes in the film, where players can choose their squad from the cast, set up defences and battle the enemy.[111]
In March 2012 Couture said a third installment of The Expendables might begin production in late 2012, after the release of The Expendables 2.[112] In April 2012, Steven Seagal said he was offered a role in a third film.[113] In August 2012, producer Avi Lerner confirmed that Nicolas Cage had been signed for the (potential) sequel. He also said that the producers intended to bring back the series' stars (attempting to have Rourke reprise his role), had approached Clint Eastwood about a role, and had plans to pursue Harrison Ford and approach Wesley Snipes after his release from prison.[114] Stallone said, "We are thinking about different concepts?the third one is the hardest. The second is the natural progression. The third, that?s when the air gets rare. We?re thinking ambitiously about it...You now have to give audiences something they don?t expect at all?maybe even going into a different genre."[115] Also in August, however, Norris said he would not return for a sequel.[116] On August 13, 2012, Van Damme indicated that Stallone might include him in The Expendables 3 as Claude Vilain, brother of Jean Vilain.[117] On October 31, 2012, it was confirmed that Nu Image and Millennium Films were in the process of pre-selling international distribution rights for The Expendables 3.[118]
![]() |
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: API |
|
|