ArtNewsPress : while its story might be thin, Extraction, as a pure white-knuckle action flick, is a supremely impressive endeavor. It’s an explosive, gauntlet-style journey into the streets of Dhaka, Bangladesh through the eyes, ears, and (many) guns of a miserable mercenary played by Thor’s Chris Hemsworth.You can add Extraction to Netflix’s short list of huge action flicks that should be viewed on your biggest screen available. Though unlike Michael Bay’s numbing 6 Underground, or even the cartoon-y carnage of Polar, Extraction manages to take some of the better elements of Fury Road, John Wick, Dredd, and other frantic “human target” crucibles and deliver a rough and tumble redemption story featuring a broken-inside black ops soldier tasked with rescuing a kidnapped teen. The action is the star here, no doubt, but the plot, while but a whisper, is still weighty enough to suffice.
First-time director Sam Hargrave wisely keeps it within his wheelhouse, drawing upon his years as a stuntman and fight coordinator for several MCU movies (including the ones with the best action, the Russos’ Winter Soldier and Civil War, where he even doubled for Chris Evans). Extraction isn’t much more than its eye-popping violence but Joe Russo’s script (inspired by the graphic novel Ciudad) is sparse enough to make room for someone looking to make their stamp on the action world. Hargrave does this well, delivering a lead character who fights like he’s one of the more successful super soldier serum test subjects – along with a very impressive 12-minute single-shot set piece that moves from a car chase into a foot chase into a showdown inside an apartment building
Hemsworth, as the extremely action movie-named Tyler Rake, is formidable in his fighting, shooting, and overall frenetic physicality. He’s also able to move the slender story along with his pathos, giving Tyler a layer of sadness that a lesser-performer would probably glower their way through. Basically, Tyler’s lost everything, including the will to live, and he finds a small spark again by helping Rudhraksh Jaiswal’s Ovi, the teen son of an Indian crime boss who’s been kidnapped by a rival drug lord. It’s conventional, but Hemsworth and Jaiswal are able to create a believable and emotional dynamic very quickly and effectively.
Stranger Things’ David Harbour appears ahead of the third act as a former friend of Tyler’s, allowing for a brief break in the brutality. Again though, there’s nothing truly surprising at work in Extraction. Harbour’s character, and that character’s fate, unfolds exactly the way you predict it will, but you forgive the trope because Harbour’s good and, yes, the story does need to pause every so often.
Extraction works because its simple, yet sufficient, story allows the film’s action to take center stage. If the stunt work were mediocre, the entire thing would be an utter waste of time. Thankfully though, Extraction boasts an exhaustingly awesome showcase of expertly choreographed fists, knives, guns, and explosions. If you enjoyed the hard-hitting showdowns between Bucky and Steve in the Captain America films, you’ll dig this flick.
