MOVIE REVIEW by Lucas Allen: Netflix’ ‘Extraction’ is theater-worthy fun

Extraction
(Netflix)

By Lucas Allen

Need something really exciting to watch during the quarantine? Netflix has your back with an original title that has all the action you could have ever wanted. “Extraction” was produced by the Russo brothers, the directors behind the recent Avengers films “Infinity War” and “Endgame,” which proved to be beloved blockbusters.
Joe Russo also co-wrote the script from an original story and it’s directed by stuntman Sam Hargrave, who also worked on the recent Marvel movies. Add in “Thor” to the mix and you get an awesome experience.
Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) works as a professional mercenary, but is grieving over the loss of his family which pushed him into alcohol and popping pills when he’s assigned to a secret mission in India that requires his special skills. A young kid named Ovi (Rudhraksh Jaiswal), the son of an imprisoned drug lord, has been kidnapped by members of a rival drug lord, Amir (Priyanshu Painyuli).
With help from a team led by Nik (Golshifteh Farahani), Tyler’s able to put himself in the line of fire before being able to rescue the young boy. But just as the two were reaching their extraction point, they get ambushed by Amir’s police unit and try to make their escape.
Turns out that Ovi’s legal guardian, Saju (Randeep Hooda), turned the tables, killed the team, and tries to take the kid to protect his family. As they tried to hide from the authorities and child soldiers, Tyler and Ovi hide out with the mercenary’s American friend Gaspar (David Harbour from Stranger Things) until they can figure a way out. However, Tyler will have to battle both his enemies and his personal demons to complete his mission.
While the story has some familiar beats, the movie excels on its violent action and stunning sequences of hand-to-hand combat. It can be seen as a throwback to the action movies of the 1980s where muscular heroes like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone would armor up and cause mass mayhem to save the day. There’s a healthy dose of muscle and explosions to be found in this film. Though darker in certain elements, action fans will likely have a field day enjoying every good moment to be found.
However, don’t think of this film as a mindless actioner with little plot. The filmmakers still managed to put as much time and effort to their action scenes as possible. One major highlight is the extended 12-minute one-take scene that includes a car chase, some fight scenes and a truck chase rolled into one piece of crazy entertainment. Everything’s shot, choreographed, and edited seamlessly well into this film from that extended sequence to the finale on a bridge. All in all, the action helps elevate the familiar story to a higher level.
Hemsworth proves to be the right action star for this film. Not just using his fists, but he also brings a little more emotion to his performance especially during some tender moments. Newcomer Jaiswal is fine enough in the role while handling some very tough scenes in action. Harbour’s role is basically an extended cameo, but he still gets to enjoy himself including having a fight scene with Hemsworth.
For a Netflix original film, “Extraction” would’ve been just as exciting to watch in theaters as is it is on any big screen TV at home. The filmmakers certainly knocked this one out of the park, making a fun throwback action film for the 2020s. It’ll be a while before we can go back to the cinema but until then, we have streaming films like this to hold us over.
THE MOVIE’S RATING: R (for strong bloody violence throughout, language, and brief drug use)
THE CRITIC’S RATING: 3.5 Stars (Out of Four)