Extraction 2 review
I wasn’t ready for Extraction 2.
This year has been an abundance of riches for action spectacle films headlined by John Wick: Chapter 4 and Fast X. And with a new Mission: Impossible and The Expendables coming, this year already has to go down as one of the all-time strongest lineups.
Extraction 2 essentially ends that debate with a Raid 2 level of glorious insane staggeringly impressive laid out action spectacles resulting in a genre instant classic.
From gunships, rail guns, prison riot brawls to parking lot shootouts and a chapel final battle that would make Raging Fire proud, Extraction has a little bit of everything and does it exceedingly well.
Wisely, the movie opens immediately after the cliffhanger from the first film with Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth, Thor: Love and Thunder) seemingly killed. Semi-spoiler: he survived and is back and set for the sequel.
Screenwriter Joe Russo (Avengers: Endgame) doesn’t rush to put Rake back in action. Instead, he makes him earn it through a lengthy recovery process guided by his close friend and fellow black-market mercenaries, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani), and her brother, Yaz (Adam Bessa). Nine months after his near-death encounter, Rake finds himself called back to action by the mysterious, Alcott (Idris Elba).
Rake’s ex-wife, Mia, (Olga Kurylenko, Black Widow) needs a favor only Rake can accomplish. Her sister, Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili), and two children are stuck in a prison. They’re in captivity so Mia’s cruel brother-in-law — Davit — the real prisoner, can keep them close by. Mia’s rightfully worried that the controlling and abusive Davit will eventually kill her sister.
Rake knows he can’t do it alone and calls in Nik and Yaz for backup. Russo isn’t trying to craft some masterful exploration of the black market mercenary’s mindset or a commentary on getting paid to save people. It’s all action and doesn’t disappoint at all.
Director Sam Hargrave returns and seems like he spent the three years since the last installment trying to come up with the most over the top action sequences and then spent more time coming up with ways to top them.
This is evident with the first major action set piece with an incredible escape from the prison that starts with a mini mob, erupts into an all-out riot with flaming fists and shovel swipes culminating in a breathtaking train getaway.
Hargrave avoids doing a lot of annoying hyper edits instead going the much more impressive route of shooting most of the action via extended tracking shots. This makes the action that much more impactful and devastating.
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In a lot of action movies, the prison escape would be the final act. For Extraction 2, that’s just the warmup as some of the other sequences are just as intense or even wilder.
Davit’s brother, Zurab (Tornike Gogrichiani), makes for an ideal main villain. Gogrichiani has a cold presence making for an intense and dangerous antagonist. Farahani is emerging as a bada$$ action star in her own right.
Nik is an integral part of the Extraction films and is much more of a co-star than a sidekick. Still, if Netflix wanted to expand this universe a Nik-led spin-off doesn’t sound like a bad idea.
Hemsworth is one more strong Extraction installment away from being like Harrison Ford where fans debate if Han Solo or Indians Jones was his best role. So far Thor has the lead as Hemsworth’s best performance but it’s getting close.
This is the kind of role Hemsworth could have based his entire career on and still been a major star. That he’s more selective and versatile with his roles makes these action indulgent performances even more meaningful.
Even with the wild action sequences, Hemsworth gets some moments to show his more dramatic side. These have always been a low-key aspect of Hemsworth’s career as he’s able to give his characters credible gravitas.
Playing off his stuntman career, Hargrave knows how to stage the fights in a smart, tactical manner. Rake, Nik and Yaz take plenty of punishment. They’re not superheroes out there and get shot, stabbed and pummeled while dishing it out even stronger.
Extraction 2 is up for the challenge of entering the conversation of 2023’s best action film. It’s right up there for me as some of the spectacle action epic genre’s best efforts.
Rating: 10 out of 10
Photo Credit: Netflix