Fans of Netflix’s 2020 hit action film, Extraction, have been highly anticipating the return of Chris Hemsworth’s legendary action hero, Tyler Rake, in the 2023 release of Extraction 2. The original film delivered a non-stop stream of action and violence but lacked a deeper story and emotion that would have fully rounded out our rugged hero, as well as raised the stakes and made those punches harder. Luckily, Extraction 2 came back better than ever, fulfilling the needs of more genuine and creative emotional storylines, as well as bringing back the out-of-this-world action choreography and cinematography that hooked viewers the first time.
In the original film, Tyler Rake is introduced as a lonely, rugged veteran who makes his living as a black ops mercenary. But unlike his other mercenaries, Rake specializes in extractions: long, dangerous missions to retrieve abducted individuals in different countries. Extraction follows Rake’s extraction of Ovi, the kidnapped son of an imprisoned crime lord, who is held by a rival group of drug and weapons traffickers in Bangladesh. This assignment forces Rake outside of his physical and emotional comfort zone. It causes him to confront the demons of his past, such as losing his young son to lymphoma years before he began as a contracted mercenary. The film ends with Rake falling from a bridge to his supposed death, but a final, blurry shot leaves us hopeful that our hero is still alive.
And surprise! Rake is (barely) alive as he washes up on shore at the start of Extraction 2, bringing us along for another adventure. After a 9-month recovery in the hospital, Rake decides to put the extraction career behind him. But after a call to action that’s impossible to turn down, he prepares to enter a bloodier, more treacherous battle than ever before. With the help of military contractor Nik Kahn (Golshifteh Farahani) and her brother Yaz (Adam Bessa), Rake travels to Georgia to retrieve the imprisoned family of a war criminal.
The storyline of Extraction 2, while arguably more understandable and digestible than the first film, manages to offer deeper emotional storylines and opportunities for acting beyond the action scenes. Apart from some rushed and on-the-nose explanations which provide exposition at the beginning of the film, the rest of the story digs deeper into the complex dynamics of three different families and sheds more light on Rake’s grief for his son. While Chris Hemsworth is able to lose a bit of his hardened exterior and become a sympathetic character, the real spotlight shines on Golshifteh Farahani (Nik) in the latter half of the film. For any Extraction fans who wanted more from other characters like Nik, Extraction 2 fulfilled this.
The director of the Extraction franchise, Sam Hargrave, is also a stunt coordinator for other film projects. This is no surprise to anyone who has seen even a minute of his filmography. The action choreography of fight scenes in Extraction 2 is impeccable, especially in the one-hundred-person fight scene that takes place in an outdoor prison yard. The direction and acting required were extreme, especially considering Hargrave’s attraction to long, uninterrupted camera takes. This film features a 21-minute and seven-second take, both impressive and immersive, that it genuinely heightens the quality of the film’s action scenes.
“So the idea of the oner is to follow a character through a scenario and experience it with them in real time. It’s its own version of forced perspective.” – Sam Hargrave for The Hollywood Reporter
The special effects were also impressive, especially those involving machinery, such as an extended action scene on a train involving multiple helicopters. The train scene delivers a unique 360-degree “spinning room” shot in the same style as Fred Astaire’s iconic scene in Royal Wedding (1951). These cinematographic choices allow the audience to take a step back from the action to appreciate the film’s stunning visuals beyond the fast-paced violence.
There’s nothing more fun than a brief surprise appearance by a favorite actor. The original Extraction film hit the nail on the head with David Harbour’s appearance as a drunken, supposed ally, who gave some much-needed comedic relief. In Extraction 2, Idris Elba fulfills the role of a proper cameo: a quick but memorable performance by a well-known actor. Though his screen time runs short, his role in the story is significant, and one can only hope that he will appear again in the now-confirmed release of Extraction 3.
Score: 3.5 out of 5
Extraction 2 gives its predecessor a run for its money. Though it offers a similar level of action, it also delivers better cinematography, action choreography, and most noticeably, a more substantial and compelling story. If Extraction 3 can achieve the quality of this film but without some of its unnecessarily corny dialogue, we have something to look forward to.
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