The Expendables 2 (2012)

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 2010 action film The Expendables, and stars an ensemble cast of largely action film actors consisting of Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Chuck Norris, Terry Crews, Randy Couture, 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. It is the second installment in The Expendables film series.

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 $310 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 criticism. A tie-in downloadable video game was released on July 31, 2012, as a prequel to the events of the film. A sequel, The Expendables 3, was released on August 15, 2014.

Plot.

The Expendables—leader Barney Ross, knife specialist Lee Christmas, hand-to-hand combat specialist Yin Yang, heavy-weapons specialist Hale Caesar, demolitions expert Toll Road, the unstable Gunner Jensen, and sniper Billy the Kid, the team’s newest recruit and Ross’ protégé—are deployed to Nepal to rescue Dr. Zhou, a hostage. They also rescue the captured mercenary Trench, Ross’s 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 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 then ambushed

by international criminal and arms dealer Jean Vilain, his right-hand man Hector 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 roundhouse kicks a knife through Billy’s 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 vengeance 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, which leads them to Bulgaria where they stay overnight at an abandoned Russian military base.

VERSUS: The Expendables vs. The Expendables 2

The next morning, the team is ambushed by the Sangs and a tank. After the Expendables run out of ammunition, they are saved by Ross’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 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 ask 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 Antonov An-2 biplane by Church; Church, Maggie, Booker and Trench then leave the team. In France, Sophia 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.

Development.

Plans for a sequel to The Expendables were in place before the film’s release in August 2010; Stallone said, “I have an idea ready to go…I’m going to try to do something that’s quite radical”. 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.” 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. In April 2011, the film was given a scheduled release date of August 17, 2012 and a teaser poster for the film was released at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. In June 2011, Simon West was confirmed as director. 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, and would have granted Millennium Films a larger share of its Chinese revenue. However, the partnership fell apart before production began. However, another Chinese studio, Le Vision Pictures, invested in the film. Lionsgate Films purchased the North American and United Kingdom distribution rights to the film for $35 million. 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.

The Expendables 2: Interesting Facts About Movie

Filming.

On a budget of $100 million, principal photography of The Expendables 2 began on September 29, 2011, and lasted 14 weeks Filming took place largely in Bulgaria: at the Nu Boyana Film studio in Sofia, the city of Plovdiv and the town of Bansko. 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. 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.

Filming also took place at Devetashka Cave in Lovech Province. 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. Other filming locations included Hong Kong and New Orleans, and filming was completed by December 25, 2011. On February 9, 2012, it was reported that The Expendables 2 was in post-production.

Theatrical, Home media.

The film premiered on August 8, 2012, in Madrid, Spain, followed by premieres in Paris on August 9, London on August 13 and Hollywood on August 15. The film was first released on August 16, 2012, with its North American release the following day. The Expendables 2 was released on DVD, Blu-ray Disc, and digital download on November 20, 2012. The Blu-ray disc edition contains the theatrical cut of 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. The Blu-ray disc version is the first film release to support the 11.1-channel DTS Neo:X sound format.

Box office.

The Expendables 2 earned $85,028,192 (27%) in North America and $229,947,763 (73%) in markets elsewhere, for a worldwide total of $314,975,955. This made it the 25th-highest-grossing film of 2012. 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. Other tracking showed that up to 17% of North American audiences were reluctant to visit cinemas following the mass shooting in a Colorado cinema in late July 2012, which might affect ticket sales. The Expendables 2 earned $10.5 million on its opening day; 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%). During its second weekend, the movie held the number-one spot with $13.4 million.

Every Expendables Character Who Was Supposed To Die

Cast:

Sylvester Stallone as Barney Ross:
Jason Statham as Lee Christmas:
Jet Li as Yin Yang:
Dolph Lundgren as Gunner Jensen:
Chuck Norris as Booker:
Terry Crews as Hale Caesar:
Randy Couture as Toll Road:
Liam Hemsworth as Billy the Kid:
Scott Adkins as Hector:
Jean-Claude Van Damme as Vilain:
Bruce Willis as Church:
Arnold Schwarzenegger as Trench: