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The Expendables 2
Movie

The Expendables 2

2012 • Action, Adventure, Thriller

Woke Score
1.2
out of 10

Plot

Barney Ross is approached by CIA man Church, who wants him and his guns for hire to go to the former Soviet Union to retrieve something that was on a plane that crashed. Church doesn't tell him what he is getting. And Church sends a woman, Maggie with him to make sure he gets it. They find the plane and get the thing but some men take one of Barney's people hostage and the leader tells him to give him what they got or he'll kill his hostage. They give it to him but he kills his hostage anyway. Barney asks Maggie what was so important about that thing. She says that it showed the location of a Russian plutonium storage mine. Barney decides to track the man down and deal with him. They track them down and discover that the man they seek is Vilain who leads a group known as The Sangs and that they have taken all the men from the surrounding villages to work the mine.

Overall Series Review

The Expendables 2 is a high-octane tribute to the golden age of action cinema, prioritizing raw masculinity, brotherhood, and a clear-cut distinction between good and evil. The story revolves around a team of veteran mercenaries who operate on a strict code of honor and mutual respect. Character development is earned through combat prowess and shared sacrifice rather than social status or identity markers. It stands as a rejection of modern subversive storytelling, instead delivering a straightforward narrative where heroes protect the weak and punish the wicked through overwhelming force and traditional grit.

Categorical Breakdown

Identity Politics1/10

The team consists of diverse individuals united by skill and loyalty. No character is elevated or denigrated based on race or immutable traits. The narrative ignores modern concepts of systemic oppression in favor of individual agency and merit-based respect.

Oikophobia1/10

The film celebrates the traditional Western hero archetype. It portrays the mercenaries as a protective force against a totalitarian villain in a foreign landscape, showing no hostility toward Western values, institutions, or history.

Feminism2/10

The primary female character, Maggie, is a capable professional who works alongside the men without demeaning them or acting superior. The film centers on masculine strength, protective instincts, and the bond between warriors.

LGBTQ+1/10

The movie adheres to a normative structure where sexual orientation is not a topic of discussion or a defining characteristic. The plot focuses entirely on the mission and the platonic brotherhood of the mercenaries.

Anti-Theism1/10

There is no mockery of faith or traditional morality. The story treats the death of a comrade with solemnity and respects the concepts of objective justice and a higher moral code of honor.