Extraction 2, 2023.
Directed by Sam Hargrave.
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Golshifteh Farahani, Adam Bessa, Justin Howell, Olga Kurylenko, Tinatin Dalakishvili, Sinéad Phelps, Tornike Bziava, Patrick Newall, Tako Tabatadze, Tornike Gogrichiani, Levan Saginashvili, Dato Bakhtadze, Rayna Campbell, George Lasha, Shahaub Roudbari, and Idris Elba.
SYNOPSIS:
Tasked with extracting a family who is at the mercy of a Georgian gangster, Tyler Rake infiltrates one of the world’s deadliest prisons to save them. But when the extraction gets hot, and the gangster dies in the heat of battle, his equally ruthless brother tracks down Rake and his team to get revenge.
Extraction 2 (from returning director Sam Hargrave and screenwriter Joe Russo, based on the graphic novel Ciudad by Ande Parks, Joe Russo, and Anthony Russo, containing illustrations by Fernando León González) is the rare sequel that succeeds by creating bigger and bolder action, particularly because it’s primarily aware of what did work from the first film and how to outdo itself not only from a special effects standpoint, but filmmaking craftsmanship, stuntwork, and sustained exhilaration.
Released during the heart of the pandemic in 2020, Extraction gained traction for being one of the only new releases to watch and also for its immersive, stunning unbroken approach to the titular sequence. On paper, it’s only logical for the Extraction 2 filmmaking team to come up with something longer and more chaotic comprised of more segments within the overall one-shot rescue mission, but there’s always the sense that watching this unfold is not exciting because more is more, but rather everyone involved has homed their skills and that serious effort went into production.
Here, the extraction starts inside a dangerous Georgian penitentiary, taking the violence outside into a prison courtyard, a vehicle chase, and then onto a train. It is another fist-pumping, exhaustingly fun one-take theme park ride, this time running nearly 30 minutes and featuring Chris Hemsworth’s mercenary Tyler Rake putting out a fire on his arm by beating the shit out of someone. While watching everything play out, it’s hard not to be reminded of the adrenaline Sony PlayStation’s Uncharted games deliver, gracefully flowing from one destructive set piece to the next, so one could only imagine what Sam Hargrave could have accomplished with that property and a decent script.
Yes, it’s easy to tell where the stitches are (it’s not done in one take for real), and the screenplay from Joe Russo is about as generic as they come, leaning on Tyler and his heroic, mercenary friends (played by Golshifteh Farahani and Adam Bessa, who rightfully get to kick much more ass in this one) to impress across numerous action sequences, especially ones centered on brutal hand-to-hand combat and gun-fu. However, the action is more involving when shying away from bombastic mayhem and sticking with more confined and contained one-on-one brawls. There is a death utilizing a treadmill that is amusing, whereas characters often hurl each other into heavy objects, smashing and breaking nearly everything in their surroundings. Everyone involved is put through the wringer, which is far more effective than the countless explosions that also occur.
The script from Joe Russo greatly overestimates how intriguing Tyler is as a character, spending a tedious 20 minutes explaining how he survived the first film’s climax, his recovery, and the debriefing of his next mission. He’s a soldier that abandoned his family because he couldn’t bear the sight inside hospitals of watching his young son decline in physical health from a terminal illness. This time, it is more directly involved with the plot, creating personal stakes, but hardly anything deserving of being labeled emotionally riveting. Ironically, that weight is more felt during the back half that’s not concerned with one-take gimmicks; the action there is exciting but striving for awe, lacking character attachment.
Tyler has been hired by his ex-partner’s (Olga Kurylenko) sister Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili) to break her and her son out of the previously mentioned Georgian penitentiary, as she imprisoned career criminal husband has brought them on the inside to remain a family while serving his sentence. Unsurprisingly, he is also a maniacal abuser, weaseling into his impressionable son’s mind that it is his purpose to follow in his footsteps. So once the rescue comes, he’s not enthused to be separated from his father. This also launches his uncle into revenge.
There isn’t a single noteworthy aspect of these Georgian criminals or their henchmen, but it is to be appreciated that Extraction 2, at the very least, has the idea of circular abandonment, toxic masculinity, and poor fathering on its mind. Instead of making more room for this, the filmmakers are also trying to set up another sequel, though, and don’t really know how to characterize anyone beyond broad strokes. Still, the mission is entertaining enough, and Chris Hemsworth continues to excel in a throwback role of yesteryear’s action flicks, so more in the future could be a good prospect. Extraction 2 rips and rakes.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com
