#Jason Statham

The Expendables are back in The Expendables 2! The band of elite, muscular mercenaries led by Sly Stallone are once again causing mayhem in far flung places under the guise of maintaining international security. The first Expendables film brought together some of action’s biggest names but there were some notable stars either missing or in brief cameo roles. In this second instalment, out on Friday, a couple of those omissions are addressed and there’s bigger roles for Schwarzenegger and Willis. What’s not to like?

The plot is mercifully simple, leaving more time for wanton destruction and one liners. After accepting a straightforward job for Mr. Church (Bruce Willis), the Expendables are soon set on revenge after one of their team is murdered by rival mercenary, Jean Vilain (yes, Vilain), played with relish by Jean Claude Van Damme. Vilain also has plans on stealing large quantities of plutonium, which is never a good sign.

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Almost by stealth, Jason Statham has become one of the most dependable action stars of the last twenty years. None of his films have been huge box office blockbusters but every year he releases one or two action films that tend to be tight as a drum and absolutely play to his strengths. I occasionally wonder if had he been a star in the 80s, whether he’d be held in the same regard as Van Damme and Seagal, or even the more exalted action stars, Stallone and Schwarzenegger.

Out on May 4^th, Safe could well be Statham’s best action vehicle yet. The plot is simple, a young Chinese girl with a photographic memory is forced by a Chinese gang in New York to memorise a code that contains the combination to a safe. Before she’s able to relay the code, she escapes the gang’s clutches and soon the Russian mafia and group of corrupt New York cops are after her too. However, none of these ruffians had counted on the presence of the city’s toughest ex-cop, Luke Wright, who after a chance encounter with the girl, makes it his job to protect her. Cue lots of bone-crunching fistfights, gunfights and one-liners.

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