Released: April 2020
Director: Sam Hargrave
Rated R
Run Time: 116 Minutes
Distributor: Netflix
Genre: Action/Thriller
Cast:
Chris Hemsworth: Tyler Rake
Golshifteh Farahani: Nik Khan
Rudhraksh Jaiswal: Ovi Mahajan
Piyush Khati: Arjun
David Harbour: Gaspar
It’s pretty rough out there, right now. We’ve got the Covid-19 virus making its rounds throughout the world and forcing people to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from each other. A lot of places and services have shut down during this pandemic. One of the industries that’s getting clobbered right now is the film industry and that includes movie theaters. Nearly every walk-in movie theater around the world is closed, with most drive-ins following suit. As a result, movies that were supposed to be releasing within the next month or two have been pushed back by months or even up to a year. In fact, some films have gone the way of direct-to-VOD as a result. Those ones are generally the films that weren’t expected to make a lot of money anyway, but still, what’s happening now is pretty savage. I haven’t been the theaters in over a month, and I’m not expecting to see the inside of one for another 3 or 4 at the very earliest. That being said, there are still alternatives when it comes to watching new movies. Not everybody likes the idea, but there are new movies coming out that are specifically being released for various VOD platforms like Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Netflix. There’s a lot of content out there to be enjoyed, especially at a time like this. One of the new movies that was released this month is on Netflix by the name of Extraction.
Extraction follows mercenary Tyler Rake as he’s hired to rescue the kidnapped son of a notorious international drug lord. After rescuing young Ovi, Tyler tries to get the kid out of the city which is on lock-down by the gangster that kidnapped Ovi, but he has to avoid not only the local police, but also the hired soldiers from both gangsters. That’s about as simple a set-up as you can get for an action movie, and at the base level, it works. However, if you’re expecting something more profound or life-changing, keep looking. There is nothing here that you haven’t seen before in terms of narrative. In fact, I would actually argue that it’s not one of the better films of this kind. It’s very predictable in terms of its execution and conclusion with certain moments being telegraphed a mile away. There are also moments between action set-pieces that slow the film to a crawl. There are moments when we see flashes of Tyler’s earlier life and what happened to his family, but it all feels incredibly forced. Honestly, I think the film would have been better served if the main hero had remained a mystery. There’s precedent for that. There are lot of films out there where we know and learn essentially NOTHING about the main character, yet he/she still remain compelling BECAUSE of the mystery.
While Extraction doesn’t have a whole lot going for it in terms of story or characterization, it’s the action that moves the film along. When it comes to action, this film is an absolute blast. The shoot-outs are intense and the hand-to-hand sequences are brutal. One of the best action sequences in the film is a 12-minute long chase sequence. This scene is awesome, because it looks like it was all done in one take. It wasn’t, but it was made to look like it was, and it’s one of the coolest things I’ve seen in action movie. Now, I’ve seen that kind of film-making used before in 1917, but that was for an entire film, this was just used for a particular sequence. The way camera moves in and out of the vehicles is mind-blowing. There are also a lot of explosions and awesome stunts on display here. When the film is in action-mode, it fires on all cylinders, and there’s a lot of action in this film. Almost too much, for some people. If you’re looking for a film that blows shit up and has Chris Hemsworth running around beating the living daylights out of people, this is the film for you.
Chris Hemsworth has come a long way since playing Captain Kirk’s dad in the 2009 Star Trek reboot. The movie that really put him on the map was Thor. He’s been kicking ass ever since. That being said, he’s also had some misses along the way, but you really can’t fault the guy for putting everything into every role that he’s had. Even his stint in the ill-fated Ghostbusters reboot was hilarious. The guy has range and is easily the most talented of the Hemsworth clan. Here, he can obviously handle himself pretty well in terms of physicality. Unfortunately, given how the character is written, Chris isn’t given a lot to do with aside from creating havoc and having some smoldering intensity. That’s pretty much it. The rest of the acting in the film is serviceable if not remarkable. Stranger Things’ David Harbour is essentially nothing more than an extended cameo, but he’s still pretty good, even if his character arc is painfully predictable.
You know, for a film that was scripted and produced by the Russo Brothers, who did Captain America: Winter Soldier, Civil War and the last two Avengers films, I expected a bit more than what I got here. Chris Hemsworth’s character of Tyler is pretty one-note as are the villains. The dialogue is simplistic and not overly convincing. There were supposed to be some emotional moments here and there, but they really come across as cliche and forced. I honestly didn’t really care about the majority of characters in the film. Also, a lot of the problems that I see in this film are the result of a first-time director. Sam Hargrave is known for his stunt-work and stunt co-ordination. You would think it would make sense for a guy whose specialty is action to helm an action film, like say, Chad Stahelsky or Jesse V. Johnson. While you can tell that Sam is still new at directing a movie, the action sequences are second-to-none. These are some of the best action sequences I’ve seen in a movie of this kind. Also, to be fair to Sam, I’ve seen worse when it comes to directorial debuts. A lot worse. Honestly, if Extraction is any indication, Sam Hargrave has a lot of potential to be one of the best action film directors. He knows his stuff, but I think he needs to work on the smaller and dramatic moments if he’s really going to stand out as a full-blown director. If all you want is balls-to-the-wall action, you’ll get it and then some. But if you’re looking for anything more than that, you’re not going to find it here.
My Final Recommendation: Come for the action, stay for the action…..and Chris Hemsworth’s smoldering intensity. 7.5/10