The Expendables 2

Even at the height of steroid-addled, high octane action flicks, audiences were never treated to the orgy of testosterone that is The Expendables series. The band are back in Part two, and this time there’s more screen time for the geriatrics, and they brought some friends too - 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 all star in this unmissable romp.

I’m told there’s a plot - something about a mission that went bad, revenge, payback, a swathe of destruction and five tons of weapons-grade plutonium - but in a film like this, one can’t help but think that any semblance of story plays second fiddle to gunshots, explosions and a stupendous bodycount. In these regards The Expendables 2 does not disappoint, and with $20 million more to play with than the first installment, you can be sure of seeing pyrotechnics aplenty.

Stallone, who directed and co-wrote number one, this time brought in Simon West (Con Air and The Mechanic) as boss to free himself up more for the starring role. This really shows with a more fluid and well rounded performance.

If you like fast-paced, punchy, explosive entertainment, this film is must see. Let’s face it, these guys won’t be making films forever, and in the words of Bruce Willis, “Hopefully, they'll start shooting it while we're young enough to survive.” Watch it while it’s hot - this could be the last hurrah of the genre!

Fergus Cooper