Extraction Movie Review

Released: 24th April 2020 (Netflix UK and US)

Length: 117 Minutes

Certificate: 18

Director: Sam Hargrave

Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda, Golshifteh Farahan, Pankaj Tripathi, Priyanshu Painyuli and David Harbour

Taking place on a smaller scale, the b-movie action sub-genre creates a few hidden gems on occasion; flicks that provide top-tier action that can stand alongside the greats. Netflix is betting on the Chris Hemsworth vehicle Extraction to deliver one of their best efforts in the genre to date; for the most part, it’s a success.

Extraction follows Tyler Rake, a former special forces soldier with a torturous past. The gun-for-hire signs up to a dangerous job, to rescue and extract Ovi Mahajan Jr (Rudhraksh Jaiswal), the son of an Indian crime lord, from a rival gang in Bangladesh. After a clear setup and insertion, things start to get bloody and Tyler races to escape the country. Cutting between action on the ground and the antagonists in their lavish estates, there’s nothing too complicated about Extraction’s plot; the film is out to provide a rollercoaster of violence and it succeeds at doing so. The sense of danger is constant throughout and by going for more realism, the injuries and bloodshed land with the right impact. This does come at the cost of external development though; while the antagonists are given enough screen-time to make their presence felt, their greater motives and the corrupt establishment they inhabit are never really expanded upon. On top of this, the supporting cast, most notably Tyler’s comrades on the ground, are tossed aside quickly without contributing much to the story; the story’s tension comes mainly from the action, rather than interesting twists and turns. The chase itself is a thrill to watch, but it comes at the cost of development.

The characters in Extraction fall back on the strong and simple style of charecterisation, but some audiences will be left wanting more when it comes to overall investment, which, like the narrative, comes down to development. Chris Hemsworth delivers an impressive physical performance as Tyler and he is given enough time to show off a more emotional side as his character’s history comes to light. While the protagonist himself has just enough backstory to draw the audience in, there’s a real lack of depth to the teenager that if expanded upon, could have generated more interactions between him and Tyler. The villains are used sparingly, given just enough screen-time to play up their sinister nature; the same is true of Tyler’s fellow operatives back at base, though again they do leave you wanting for more depth. One intermission in the action features David Harbour as an old associate of Tyler’s, but his character is very weak and only shows up for a single scene. Thankfully though, these moments don’t take away from the main meat of the package.

Like all the best modern action films, Extraction understands that the best sequences are cut and edited in a clear and coherent manner and what we have here is a supercharged flurry of violence and searing tension that will consistently leave you floored. Whether it’s slamming thugs into walls or gunning them down with lethal efficiency, Chris Hemsworth’s battle through the Bangladesh capital never lets up. It’s absolutely brutal and thanks to work of cinematographer Newton Thomas Sigel, everything is presented to a crystal-clear standard. The highlight is a near flawless eleven minute one-take that starts on a car chase through crowded streets and proceeds into a claustrophobic residential block for some nasty close encounters. The music by Henry Jackman and Alex Belcher is also superb, always punctuating the action with a vicious punch. Extraction really does earn its place among the best action flicks of recent years and this main selling point is placed front and centre all the way through.

Extraction’s dedicated team of producers, actors and stuntmen have put together one of the most gritty and visceral action films in recent memory. The hand-to-hand fights, gunplay and chase sequences that permeate the movie are truly outstanding, just don’t go in expecting any real depth to the characterisation, which does lessen the film’s overall hook.

Rating: 3.5/5 Stars (Good)