Movieweb reported that The Expendables 2 will now carry an R rating, according to an interview with Sylvester Stallone. And I really couldn't care less.
For those of you who missed it, Chuck Norris was quoted a few months ago saying that the film would carry a PG-13 rating, as he doesn’t act in R-rated films. Okay, it’s obvious he’s forgotten about all his movies from the early '70s, but I guess taking a few too many punches to the head might do that. Still, Stallone did confirm the youth-oriented rating, causing the Internet to let loose the roar of disappointed fans everywhere.
But now Stallone has stated that the upcoming sequel will be rated R. So everyone simmer down and be sure to go see it on August 17. And I’m sure a lot of "fans" of '80s action flicks are breathing a sigh of relief, assuming they'll get a dose of hardcore violence and mayhem.
Well, forgive me if I don't get too excited, because the original Expendables wasn’t anything like the '80s action flicks I remember. Aside from a nasty knife wound during the start of the final fight sequence, the film looked more like an episode of The A-Team than the action films of three decades ago.
Look, action films back then were brutal. People lost limbs, the sides of their heads exploded after being hit with explosive tipped arrow. Bad guys were impaled with pipes, swords and chainsaws, choked with barbwire, soaked in toxic sludge and liquefied on screen or perforated with enough bullets to kill an elephant. And let’s not talk about heroes who cauterized wounds with gunpowder just before battle. The Expendables pales in comparison to the mayhem unleashed back then, and I should know because I saw a lot of classic action films in the theaters.
One of the few recent films that recalls the heyday of '80s actions movies is Stallone’s Rambo, in which the final battle starts with the hero turning a truck-mounted machine gun on the driver, reducing him to red pudding. And that’s before he turns the gun on the rest of the enemy army, sawing them (in some cases, literally) in half. If you don’t believe me, check out this clip. And it’s most definitely NSFW!
Other than Shoot ‘Em Up, few films really capture the essence of an '80s action film like John Rambo. Dodgy CGI aside, this film captured the energy and visceral impact that The Expendables lacked.
And let's not forget, Norris was concerned with the amount of foul language, not the violence in E2. So all Stallone wants to do is add in a few F-bombs and call it good. No increased mayhem, no additional CGI blood; just a few words that will cause the MPAA to slap the film with an R rating. And, based on the harsh reaction to the documentary film Bully, it shouldn't be too hard for Stallone to earn an R rating.
But fans are delusional if they expect more mayhem on the screen. Just watch cable television and one can see the only way to earn an R rating now is through graphic language or flashing some bare flesh on the screen (okay, bare breasts; it appears a penis will likely get you an NC-17). So an R-rated action film in 2012 isn't like one from the '80s, where filmmakers pushed the boundaries of onscreen mayhem and were forced to trim scenes to avoid an X rating. Whatever Stallone puts on the screen on August 12 will likely pale in comparison to the real thing, even if you count the F-bombs.
Stop being a hater. The first Expendables was awesome '80s action and so was Rambo. The wife and I will be first in line to see the sequel.