Premiering on Netflix in April 2020, Extraction was released when we were right in the middle of the pandemic. Movie theaters were closed and so our moviegoing experiences were on home video and streaming services. Despite having an exploitation edge that would rival the 80s action cinema starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Extraction directed by stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave featured Chris Hemsworth delivering the head-crunching action that satisfied those who were missing some John Wick during that time.
Considering the first film concluded with Hemsworth’s Tyler Rake left badly wounded as he falls to the river to meet his end, Extraction felt like a one-and-done. However, because it became the most-watched original film in Netflix’s history, Tyler Rake has been resurrected three years later for a sequel.
Months after the events of the previous film, Tyler is left recuperating and wondering why he has survived, considering the tragic backstory he still suffers from, which is the death of his son. However, when he is approached by an unnamed man (Idris Elba), Tyler is assigned to rescue his ex-wife’s sister Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili) and her children who are imprisoned by her gangster husband in a deadly Georgian prison
Like before, Tyler Rake is sent to a country where there are baddies that resemble those from exploitation action movies from the past and he has to kill as many of them as possible so he can extract those who are innocent; it’s literally in the title. The difference this time is the personal angle that a number of characters go through, not just Tyler Rake.
Family is a major theme throughout, whether it is Tyler tries to rescue the family he hadn’t connected with in years, or the two brothers that serve as the antagonists for our heroes. There’s even more screen-time between Golshifteh Farahani and Adam Bessa, who play the Khan siblings who partner with Tyler.
However, like the John Wick movies, you don’t go into these movies, expecting the high drama, but there are at least some character dynamics going on. Hemsworth may have the macho physique, but Tyler Rake is among the recent trend of action heroes where they are going through some personal trauma, something that the actor presents in moments of vulnerability. That said, some of the attempts of high drama can lead to some cliché story beats, where the innocent son who is trying to be tough, but should know better, makes the wrong decision that causes the next suspenseful set-piece.
While we are on the subject of set-pieces, director Sam Hargrave excels with the action, including a 21-minute oner that is all about the titular extraction that tops its predecessor. Although you can obviously see the hidden cuts, the transition from infiltration to prison riot to car chase to train just gets more and more over-the-top. There has always been an element of humor, even during points where the violence is gnarly. After this particular set-piece where the film peaks at, the subsequent action may still be expertly-crafted, the “wow” factor starts to fade.
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