Extraction 2 (15)

Dir: Sam Hargrave

Chris Hemsworth channels his inner John Rambo in this action-packed sequel to the 2020 Netflix hit.

Netflix were onto a hit with the release of ‘Extraction‘ back in 2020. The action-thriller, penned by the Russo Brothers, hit streaming at a time where there was few summer blockbusters due to the pandemic. Getting to watch Chris Hemsworth fight his way through the bustling streets of Mumbai, in a variety of over the top action set pieces, was a welcome distraction to life in lockdown. This proved to be a huge win for Netflix, as ‘Extraction‘ became the streaming platform’s most watched original film, with 99 million viewers in it’s first four weeks.

The Russo’s and director Sam Hargrave have decided that with this sequel, they should do more of the same but crank everything up to eleven. ‘Extraction 2‘ is considerably more ambitious in terms of scale compared to it’s predecessor, which enables it to go completely bonkers with it’s many long drawn out action sequences. I think this works as a benefit for the film, as it does not take itself too seriously, and sets out to be a 2-hour action-packed thrill ride and nothing else.

The film carries on from exactly where the first instalment left us, with our Aussie action-hero, Tyler, being shot and falling off a bridge into the river below. In typical 80’s action style, Tyler remarkably survives, and is forced to retire at an isolated lakeside lodge in Austria. Whilst there, he is approached by a stranger (Idris Elba), who offers Tyler a job. The job is to rescue Ketevan, the sister of Tyler’s ex-wife, who along with her two children, is being held in a Georgian prison with her gangster husband Davit. After a brief Rocky-style training montage, Tyler get’s his crew back together to break into the prison and rescue Ketevan and her children from the abusive patriarch. All does not got to plan however, as they are discovered on their way out by Davit. The discovery leads to a full scale prison riot, which Tyler and his two companions, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani) and Yaz (Adam Bessa), must navigate the family through, as pure carnage erupts around them. What follows is a quite remarkable 20 minute long take that follows Tyler and the gang fight their way out of the country.

With Ketevan and her family now being under the watchful eye of Tyler and his gang of mercenaries, Davit’s unhinged brother, Zurab, is out for revenge. After manipulating Ketevan’s teenage son, Sandro, into giving away their location, Zurab and his small army of henchmen, proceed to follow our heroes to Austria.

‘Extraction 2’ is pure 80’s and 90’s action-hero movie cheese, and it is great fun. The whole film is a call-back to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone flick’s back in the day, like Commando or Rambo: First Blood Part II. There is one sequence where Chris Hemsworth is stood on top of a moving armoured train, shooting down helicopters with a minigun – fantastic stuff. The film essentially plays out in three very long action sequences, with the odd minute of downtime for plot and character development sprinkled in between. This lack off character development does prevent the film from elevating itself to anything more than just an old-school action shoot-em up.

Chris Hemsworth does a good enough job in the lead without having a great deal to do emotionally with the character. Tyler is guilt-ridden by missing the death of his infant son as a result of serving in Afghanistan, and has never forgiven himself for it. This plot thread is barely touched upon though, only in a couple of scenes where Tyler’s ex-wife, Mia, appears. Hemsworth does bring great physicality to the role however, and you do get that sense of a man on a mission, an unstoppable machine who will never stop, even when he has been shot or stabbed multiple times. The real standout here though is Golshifteh Farhana as Tyler’s mercenary partner, Nik. She is an absolute bad-ass in the role and could easily carry an action heavy franchise on her own. It is just a shame she is predominantly utilised as the stereotypical sidekick in these movies.

Plot and character issues aside, ‘Extraction 2‘ is an exhilarating old school action romp, that will keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. It may not redefine the genre, but it is a pulsating 2-hours of adrenaline-fuelled escapism.

Extraction 2 is available to stream on Netflix.