Extraction 2

The first "Extraction" (2020) is a perfect example of a decent "dumb" action movie. The usage of "dumb" here is by no means an insult; it just means the movie did a good job of providing just enough information needed to set up a series of crazy action sequences, and then spent the majority of the time and budget on making sure those sequences were spectacular. It's a tricky balance to get right, however. Even the best action choreography and special effects in the world can't save a plot that doesn't have at least some meat on it. And even though the first "Extraction" was a lot of fun, it still fell victim to an overuse of genre cliches and one-dimensional villains.

Sam Hargrave, the director of the first "Extraction" and a former stunt coordinator for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, takes more or less the same approach with the sequel, dialing up the action to even crazier extremes and leaning on his star Chris Hemsworth to provide as much emotional depth as possible. Hemsworth returns as the unstoppable mercenary Tyler Rake, pulled out of retirement for "one more job" by a mysterious unnamed man (Idris Elba), and tasked with the rescue of Rake's ex-wife's sister and her two children, who are currently imprisoned along with her gangster husband in a Georgian prison.

Most of the exposition is taken care of in the first 20 minutes, and then we're off to the races for the rest of the movie. Rake and his small team of two, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani) and Yaz (Adam Bessa), set out to infiltrate the prison, where the gangster husband Davit holds the undying loyalty of many other prisoners, and a powerful small army on the outside who look after him.

What happens next is the main talking point of the movie: an absolutely wild 21-minute sequence made to look like a single shot, in which Rake leads the family out of prison through the middle of a full-scale prison riot and onto a train that is then chased by helicopters. It's an extraordinary scene that took four long months to film, and even though many have delighted in pointing out that it's not actually a single shot due to hidden cuts, it's still a breathtaking rush of action and an incredible technical achievement that will be talked about for some time. The camera follows Rake much like a first-person shooter video game as he punches and shoots his way out of impossible situations, often being stabbed, shot or even set on fire. It's ridiculous and beyond over-the-top, but y'know, it also rules.

Unfortunately, the rest of the movie can't quite reach the heights of that scene again. The gangsters quickly find Rake and the family and come at him again and again, resulting in a few nice moments but never ultimately living up to the bombast of the escape scene. The movie pits Rake against another tough guy counterpart, which is when the movie starts to rely too heavily on cliche. Rake has a battle with his counterpart in which they are both equally matched, setting up a bigger, badder final showdown in which only one can survive. The action is still impressive and immaculately rendered, but it just doesn't feel fresh at this point.

Hemsworth is perfect in the role of Tyler Rake, not only carrying the necessary physicality the role needs, but also displaying an a kind of sadness in his features, hidden just behind all of the typical rage that these kinds of characters are usually made out of. Rake's background is one of tragedy and the loss of a child, and those feelings find him again in the course of this mission, injecting a little emotion amidst all of the explosions. It's not much but it's there, and it's a credit to Hemsworth for making the most out of a classic "action hero with a past" character.

"Extraction 2" is the kind of movie where you'll end up excitedly telling your friends, "it's not going to win any awards but you just have to watch it." It's big, it's loud, and yes, it's even dumb, but it's also a pretty good time. It's really too bad that this is a Netflix franchise, and not one that can be enjoyed on the biggest screen possible.