"The Expendables 2" - The Picturesque Cast Quiz

Answer: Barney

Barney Ross is the leader of the team of mercenaries based in New Orleans. After a mission to rescue a Chinese businessman he is confronted by Mr. Church of the CIA. Church wants the team to recover an item from a plane that went down in Albania. Ross has no choice to accept because he owes Church. Joining the team is CIA operative Maggie Chan, who is played by Yu Nan.

Barney was one of President Bush's Scottish Terriers when he lived in the White House. He starred in 11 government films productions and had a penchant for biting reporters. Barney died Feb. 1, 2013 at 12 years of age.

Answer: Yin Yang

Jet Li's character is named Yin Yang and he is a hand-to-hand combat expert. Because of scheduling conflicts, Li only appeared in the opening sequence of the film during the rescue of the Chinese businessman. As the team flies home over China, Yin Yang parachutes out of the plane with the Chinese businessman to deliver him home.

Yin Yang or Yin and Yang is the central concept behind the Taoist view of the world and the duality that exists in nature where opposites must be in balance if the chi or life energy is to flow correctly.

Answer: Christmas

Jason Statham plays Lee Christmas, an expert with knives. Christmas is not always sure Barney knows what he is doing but he follows him anyway like a faithful second in command. Barney questions Christmas' relationship with his girlfriend, Lacy, because she cheated on him in the first film but Christmas loves her. Lacy is played by Charisma Carpenter of "Buffy" and "Angel" fame.

Answer: Church

Bruce Willis plays Mr. Church, a shadowy CIA operative who kept Barney's team out of prison and now expects to be paid back by them going on a mission for him. Church makes the team take CIA operative Maggie Chan with them because she is the only one who can disarm the safe to retrieve the intel. Church joins the team in Albania for the final showdown with Jean Vilain and the Sangs.

The picture is of St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City. Although either church or cathedral can describe the picture, only church fits with the movie.

Answer: Jean-Claude Van Damme

Jean-Claude Van Damme plays Jean Vilain, leader of a gang of thugs called the Sangs. Vilain is also after the intel the team was sent to retrieve because it shows the location of refined plutonium he wants to sell on the black market. During the confrontation with Barney's team, Vilain needlessly kills Billy the Kid, thus incurring Barney's wrath. The film ends with a showdown between Barney and Vilain.

As a past action superstar, Van Damme had been offered a role in the first film but turned it down. He embraced the role of the villain here and Stallone remarked that their showdown was a much anticipated event because both of them had been past action heroes. Van Damme was a martial arts champion before turning to acting.

The picture is of Hoover Dam and the Mike O'Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge that is used to bypass traffic past the dam. Before 9/11 all traffic went over the dam. With 9/11 it was decided a bypass bridge needed to be built to help protect the dam from any terrorist attacks. Most traffic now bypasses the dam altogether using the bridge.

Answer: Toll Road

Randy Couture plays Toll Road, a philosophical demolitions expert. Toll Road and Hale Caesar seem to work as a team much like Barney and Christmas. Randy has cauliflower ear from his years as a mixed martial arts champion and the team makes fun of his character because of this, giving him a hard time about his hearing.

He claims at one point that his hearing is 20/20, a measure usually used for eyesight.

Answer: Billy the Kid

Liam Hemsworth plays Billy the Kid, the newest and youngest member of the team who is a sniper. In the opening sequence he proves his mettle using a 50 caliber sniper rifle to finish off a bunch of bad guys that have Barney and Christmas surrounded. Later on he says he will retire after the next mission but he never makes it home to his girlfriend because Vilain kills him.

Billy the Kid is one of the more controversial characters to come out of the Old West. He ended up in the middle of the Lincoln County War fighting against the corrupt power structure. Although this makes him more of a Robin Hood figure, he was also a cold blooded killer.

Answer: Trench

Trench Mauser is a competitor of Barney and his team. During the opening sequence, Barney and the team rescue Trench while also rescuing the Chinese businessman. Later on, Trench shows up to rescue the team who have been trapped in a collapsed mine. Trench then joins the team for the final showdown with Vilian.

During one exchange of dialogue between Trench and Church they each use lines from movies they starred in. IMDB quote (explanations added by me):
"Trench: I'll be back. (from "The Terminator")
Church: You've been back enough. I'll be back.
[leaves]
Trench: Yippee-ki-yay. (from "Die Hard")"

This picture was a candidate for Picture of the Year in 2006 and features British soldiers of the Chesire Regiment during the Battle of the Somme 1916.

Answer: Lone Wolf

Norris' whole appearance in the movie is an homage to some of his previous action roles. His name Booker comes from the 1978 action film "Good Guys Wear Black" where he plays John T. Booker. Another movie was the 1983 film "Lone Wolf McQuade" where he stars opposite David Carradine. Booker shows up and saves the team when they are about to be overrun by the Sang in the fake American city.

While discussing things afterwards, Gunner mentions people call him the 'Lone Wolf'. This theme comes into play during the final showdown too when Booker shows up to help out.

Answer: Caesar

Terry Crews plays Hale Caesar, a weapons specialist. During the opening sequence when they rescue Trench, Trench wants Caesar's weapon and Barney tells him to let him have it. Caesar does not like sharing his weapons but he listens to Barney. Caesar and Toll Road are like an old married couple who always fight and squabble. While on the mission, Caesar has better food and coffee because he planned ahead and Toll resents him for it.

The picture is a photo of a bust of Julius Caesar.