The Expendables 2 [DVD + Digital Copy + UltraViolet]

For those of you who perpetually claim that sequels are always worse than originals: Let it be stated that The Expendables 2 is superior to its predecessor. Yes- the same cast is in place- and yes- the ultraviolence runs wild- as before. But at least this one has the shape of a story: A -this time it-s personal- motivation runs beneath the usual mercenary impulses of our wrecking crew. Sylvester Stallone (who also co-scripted- natch) returns as the leader of this macho band of hired guns- whose ranks include Jason Statham- Dolph Lundgren- and young pup Liam Hemsworth (Jet Li returns- but only briefly). The new villain is Jean-Claude Van Damme- who appears reluctant to take off his sunglasses- and there-s also a -lone wolf- gunman played either by Chuck Norris or a wax figure of Chuck Norris. (His entrance constitutes the all-time worst use of the theme from The Good- the Bad- and the Ugly- and that-s some fierce competition.) Even with the intense bloodletting- the jokiness is constant- and becomes rampant whenever Stallone-s Planet Hollywood partners convene for a board meeting (Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis both get more screen time than in the first Expendables). The best stroke is the addition of a female fighter--there-s absolutely no credible reason for this- but Nan Yu takes the predictable role and makes something sly out of it. Is it actually a good movie? No- but director Simon West (Con Air) knows how to push it along and even to make certain action beats intelligible to the eye. This one is so self-referential it-s hard to know where a third installment could go- but maybe Clint Eastwood could direct them all in a remake of The Dirty Dozen. --Robert