And, oh, I am glad I did.
I. What Is It?
This is the story of the kidnapped son of a drug lord. And the mercenary tasked with extracting him from a rival drug lord's possession. Things get a bit complicated when that rival drug lord locks down the entire city and press-gangs the military into his service. What started as a simple smash and grab evolves into a city-wide fight for survival.It is a beautifully simple action movie concept: perhaps one of the best go-to action premises.
II. Breathtaking Action
This movie is brutal. Between head shots, brutal knife fights (and rake fights), and kids being thrown off of buildings by drug lords, this movie gives no shits about sentimentality. It's almost like the Russo Brothers, since earning all of the beautiful Avengers cachet, have decided to use their newly-won powers to roll in the extreme opposite direction of their superhero epics. Instead of PG-13 action comedy antics, Extraction trades in hard-R violence and grit. And I am not complaining. If the fight scenes from Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014) thrilled you, the fight scenes in Extraction (2020) will take your breath away.
The movie features a few wonderful set pieces, but perhaps the most incredible features a chase sequence through a Bangladeshi slum. Our heroes careen down dirty hallways, out broken windows, weave in and out of traffic, get into a car chase, and, ultimately, escape into the sewers. And the action is composed of cleverly edited one-shots that make the sequence flow together into a kind of ballet of violence. Director Sam Hargrave, who worked second-unit with the Russos on their Avengers one-two punch, knows exactly how to stage his action and wrings the most blood and guts out of every encounter. Flipped cars, slashed throats, double-taps to the head, and crunching bones come flying around every corner. Hargrave keeps his camera smooth and steady, refusing to go the shaky-cam route, showing you the violence in vivid detail. And you can tell that real effort and care went into the choreography, here. Hargrave's camera places you in the middle of the action, and leaves you breathless after each major car crash, knock-down fight scene, and explosion.
There were more than a few moments that caused me to shriek, "HOLY SHIT!" and giddily clap, along with my wife, at the insanity on screen. I love it when a movie elicits that response.
I haven't seen action this brutally and precisely staged since the John Wick series. The characters reload their guns tactfully; they use grenades strategically; they disarm and reverse the weapons of their opponents whenever necessary; and they almost always double-tap. There is a kind of military precision at work. Hemsworth trots forward with his gun at the ready, always checking his corners and weaving the barrel of that gun up and down in search of new threats. The devil is in the details and this movie is bursting with fine details and tactical touches that compliment the action nicely.
One last thing that I really appreciated: while the people in this movie pull off feats of nigh-superhuman ability, the film takes pains to show them tired, to let you hear them huffing and wheezing, and to allow you to see the way they perform brutal battlefield remedies on their own wounds (a man cracks his broken nose back into place, handfuls of pain killers are swallowed, bandages are wrapped). The fights take their toll. And while you are always sure that the fighters will get up and keep moving, it is nice to see that this work is punishing.
A shout out to the location of this movie: plopping this one in Bangladesh made it feel fresh and interesting. Between soaring drone shots and wonderful location scouting, the city of Dhaka feels as much a character as any of the gun-toting mercenaries. Music wafts in-and-out of the soundscape, motor scooters weave in and out of fight scenes; every location feels lived-in and specific. And the city just seems to keep going on with its life around the action: these people don't have time for explosions or gun fights. This is a place of brutal survival. I liked that.
I want another movie in this universe mainlined into my bloodstream as soon as possible, dammit.
- Brutal, ridiculous, well-choreographed action.The movie features a few wonderful set pieces, but perhaps the most incredible features a chase sequence through a Bangladeshi slum. Our heroes careen down dirty hallways, out broken windows, weave in and out of traffic, get into a car chase, and, ultimately, escape into the sewers. And the action is composed of cleverly edited one-shots that make the sequence flow together into a kind of ballet of violence. Director Sam Hargrave, who worked second-unit with the Russos on their Avengers one-two punch, knows exactly how to stage his action and wrings the most blood and guts out of every encounter. Flipped cars, slashed throats, double-taps to the head, and crunching bones come flying around every corner. Hargrave keeps his camera smooth and steady, refusing to go the shaky-cam route, showing you the violence in vivid detail. And you can tell that real effort and care went into the choreography, here. Hargrave's camera places you in the middle of the action, and leaves you breathless after each major car crash, knock-down fight scene, and explosion.
There were more than a few moments that caused me to shriek, "HOLY SHIT!" and giddily clap, along with my wife, at the insanity on screen. I love it when a movie elicits that response.
I haven't seen action this brutally and precisely staged since the John Wick series. The characters reload their guns tactfully; they use grenades strategically; they disarm and reverse the weapons of their opponents whenever necessary; and they almost always double-tap. There is a kind of military precision at work. Hemsworth trots forward with his gun at the ready, always checking his corners and weaving the barrel of that gun up and down in search of new threats. The devil is in the details and this movie is bursting with fine details and tactical touches that compliment the action nicely.
One last thing that I really appreciated: while the people in this movie pull off feats of nigh-superhuman ability, the film takes pains to show them tired, to let you hear them huffing and wheezing, and to allow you to see the way they perform brutal battlefield remedies on their own wounds (a man cracks his broken nose back into place, handfuls of pain killers are swallowed, bandages are wrapped). The fights take their toll. And while you are always sure that the fighters will get up and keep moving, it is nice to see that this work is punishing.
III. Hemsworth
Chris Hemsworth is a treat. He is possessed of a monstrous font of charisma and manages to lift the relatively underwritten character of Tyler Rake through sheer force of will. He is an action star that has real acting chops to match, and Extraction allows him to show off with aplomb. I am not saying that the Russos' script is bad: I'm just saying that it is necessarily Spartan. It doesn't have time for bells and whistles. The script hints at a lot of established history and allows Hemsworth to run away with the character with a weighted look, or an exasperated sigh. It's hard not to feel like Hemsworth is having a blast, too.
IV. A World Worth Exploring
Tyler Rake has a past. The movie drops some hints about his son, and his relationship with the ensemble is palpable. There are characters that weave in and out of this story that feel like they have history, too. Whether that is Golshifteh Farahani's deadly mercenary leader, Nik, or David Harbour's gone-native operative, Gaspar, Hargrave and the Russos have constructed a compelling world that feels primed for expansive sequels, or prequels. This is a world rife with storytelling possibilities, and if the crew can pull of this brand of specific, pulse-pounding action again, I am all in.A shout out to the location of this movie: plopping this one in Bangladesh made it feel fresh and interesting. Between soaring drone shots and wonderful location scouting, the city of Dhaka feels as much a character as any of the gun-toting mercenaries. Music wafts in-and-out of the soundscape, motor scooters weave in and out of fight scenes; every location feels lived-in and specific. And the city just seems to keep going on with its life around the action: these people don't have time for explosions or gun fights. This is a place of brutal survival. I liked that.
I want another movie in this universe mainlined into my bloodstream as soon as possible, dammit.
Why You Should See It
- Beautifully simple premise that wastes little of its 116 minute runtime.
- Anchored by a compelling, dedicated performance from Chris Hemsworth.
- Feels like the beginning of a new franchise.
- If you are an action film connoisseur, consider this movie an excellent addition to the canon.
Why You Shouldn't See It
In Conclusion
Miscellany
- The Russo Brothers adapted this from a graphic novel that they co-created with Ande Parks, Fernando Leon Gonzalez, and Erik Skillman. The graphic novel is titled, Ciudad (2014), and major changes were made for the film adaptation. I tried finding a copy of it, but it isn't available anywhere. Anywhere that I could find, anyway.- Sam Hargrave, The Russos, and Chris Hemsworth have all indicated interest in sequels or prequels, pending fan reaction and Netflix's go-ahead.
- At one point, Ovi and Tyler are having a conversation wherein Ovi remarks, "You don't look like a Tyler... you look like a Brad." This is, apparently, a reference to Brad Pitt.
- The film's original title, Dhaka, was changed to Out of the Fire. It was changed a second, final, time, to Extraction.
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