(CLICK HERE to read my full review in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette)
In 2020 Marvel alumni the Russo brothers and Chris Hemsworth teamed up to make “Extraction”, a no-holds-barred old-school action flick. The results were pretty great. Now Netflix has brought back all the key players for “Extraction 2”, a bigger sequel in nearly every possible way yet one that doesn’t lose sight of what made its predecessor work. Sam Hargrave returns to direct with Joe Russo writing the script which is taken from a story he conceived with his brother Anthony and Andre Parks.
The first film ended with several lingering questions. If you remember the story’s protagonist, former SAS operator turned black-ops mercenary Tyler Rake (Hemsworth), was seriously wounded while on a mission in Bangladesh. After falling off a bridge and plunging into the muddy river below we’re left wondering if he was dead? A blurry final shot hints that he may have survived.
“Extraction 2” makes it clear he did indeed survive. It opens with Tyler’s body being retrieved and rushed to a hospital in Dubai where he lays in a coma for several weeks, his close friend and fellow mercenary Nik Kahn (Golshifteh Farahani) by his side. After waking up he undergoes a rigorous rehab just to be able to walk again. Once discharged Nik sets him up in a remote cabin in Austria where he can live off the grid and have a quiet retirement. Yeah right.
One day Tyler is paid a surprise visit by a mystery man played by none other than Idris Elba. The man tells of a mission that requires someone with Tyler’s special (and quite lethal) skill set. Tyler is quick to decline. At least until he hears who sent the man – his ex-wife Mia (Olga Kurylenko). And that changes everything.
It turns out Mia’s sister Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili) is stuck in an abusive marriage with a powerful Georgian gangster, Davit Radiani (Tornike Bziava). He’s incarcerated in a savage Georgian prison but has used his power and influence to have Ketevan and their two children locked up with him. Realizing she has to get her kids out, Ketevan reaches out to her sister for help. Upon hearing the story Tyler immediately accepts. Nik quickly joins in along with her brother, Yaz (Adam Bessa).
Action movie fans will love where things go from there. It starts with Hargrave and company putting together a lengthy and elaborately staged prison break-in and breakout sequence. It utilizes numerous crazy visual techniques and unquestionably expensive practical effects. It’s incredibly immersive despite the sheer craftsmanship sometimes pulling the spotlight away from the story being told. Who cares – it’s an exhilarating initiation into the film’s style of action.
From there things only ratchet up as Tyler, Nik, and Yaz take Ketevan and her children on the run from the film’s true antagonist, Davit’s cold ruthless big brother Zurab (Tornike Gogrichiani). Zurab has ran the family business while his brother has been in the clink, smuggling drugs and weapons to build a militarized criminal empire he calls the Nagazi. With seemingly endless resources at his disposal, Zurab has the means and the maniacal drive to hunt Tyler and his his sister-in-law wherever they go (which is precisely what he does).
While action is the main dish, Russo’s script does seek to dig a little deeper into Tyler’s pained personal history which was expressed in the first film but never really explored. There’s not a lot of time spent on it here, but what we get adds a welcomed human layer to Tyler. It’s a nice touch that brings the occasional break from the otherwise non-stop bullet-firing, bone-cracking, and blood-letting.
Then there’s Hemsworth who gives another tough and soulful performance which is a nice departure from his work as the bumbling God of Thunder in the MCU. Hemsworth is a well-rounded actor who has the grit and physicality for a role like this. He also has a natural charisma and an inherent likability that makes him and his character easy to root for. As for Farahani, she makes for a terrific foil and deserves her own spin-off movie.
To be clear, there’s not much in “Extraction 2” we haven’t seen before. But when you hone in on the action, choreography, and stunt work there aren’t many recent movies that have done it better. The painstakingly polished and furiously detailed set pieces are the film’s bread and butter, and it’s hard not to appreciate the amount of craft it took to pull some of this stuff off. All in all, count this as a sure-fire hit for Netflix. “Extraction” premieres today on Netflix.
Ooh! ooh! Didn’t read it all, as usual but the plot setup and after having watched the first one, I’m absolutely watching this one and probably tonight 🙂
It’s fantastic – pure adrenaline and some incredible action. Really impressed by what they pull off with this one.
I did watch it that night and thought it was really good. It must have cost a bundle to make it. Really liked the team he worked with. Even though the kid was so aggravating, I thought his character worked well to add to the tension. I liked the main bad guy also as it showed his origin story and what created his mindset.
I need to see the first film as I did see the trailer for this where it was one-take action scene inside a prison as that looked awesome. I want to check although I’m not really sure if I’ll have access to Netflix as my sister has been dealing with financial issues and might cut Netflix from her service as the whole password thing that Netflix has made things complicated as my mother watches a few things on Netflix.
If you do get a chance this would be a great double feature!
The Grand Tour’s back.
Looking forward to this!
It’s a blast. Hoping to watch it again this weekend. Did you like the first one?
I’ve seen it twice 🙂 will be doing No.2 tonight!
Nice! Let me know what you thought about it.👍🏼
It was excellent! Just as good as the first one. A couple of clichés and questions unanswered (how did the ex get the money to fund it? Is she part of Idris’s group or just hiring him? Who is Idris working for?) I presume from the ending there’ll be a third outing and they might get answered. Anyway brill action scenes we were literally on the edge of our seats!
Yep. They announced a third film this weekend. And it’s rumored that this is going to be an expanded universe of movies.
Expanding how? There’s only Hemsworth to be expanded!
From what I understand Elba’s story is going to come into play. And I’d love to see Nik get her own movie.
Wow! I wondered how this one turned out, had my expectations very low. Seems I was too quick to judge. Will check it out, so once again thanks!
I really liked the first film so I was looking forward to this one. It did not disappoint.
Just watched this a couple of nights ago and boy was that opening 30 minutes some kind of rush! I thought it was actually the high point the rest of the movie just could not top. Enjoyable sequel though. And it’s a rare time when I’m left hungry for more (with you all the way on Nik Khan getting her own movie)