Extraction 2 Movie Review

Helmed by skilled stunt professionals, action cinema has been on an upward trend for some time. In recent years, the genre has seen many impressive sequels that up the ante in every respect. Extraction 2 from Sam Hargrave and Netflix is firmly committed to the major set pieces, but you’ll find that other elements are lacking.

As the film opens, Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is on death’s door after falling into the Dhaka River. The skilled mercenary is nursed back to health through the power of advanced medical tech in Dubai and quickly takes on a new mission. This time a family of three needs rescuing in Georgia; Ketavan (Tinatin Dalakishvili) and her two children, Sandro (Andro Japaridze) and Nina (Miriam and Marta Kovziashvili), seek a new life but their connections to the local gangs complicate the escape. Right from the start, Extraction 2 moves at a brisk pace and misses any chance to build up the story and characters. The protagonist recovers very quickly, despite the film showing his rehabilitation and we don’t really get to know him well. As soon as Tyler enters the Tkachiri prison, the film dives straight into a simplistic tale of soldiers clashing together. Action junkies will be pleased, but the film would have been much more impactful if it took the time to elevate the narrative. It’s another straightforward objective with the occasional interaction between Tyler and the VIPs he escorts to safety. One scene at safehouse in Vienna sums it up nicely; the characters have a moment to breath and reflect, but the shared trauma isn’t deep enough to warrant full sympathy.

The characters are standard-fare. At times Tyler talks with the young Sandro, showing hints of becoming a father figure to him, but these character arcs vanish as soon as the shootouts kick in. The same also goes for Tyler’s ex-wife Mia (Olga Kurylenko); this should have been an emotional anchor point as they discuss their lost son, but the poignant weight falls short. Nik and Yaz Kahn are the same as they were in the original, partners who back up the protagonist with very little growth or development. When the intensity rises, Golshifteh Farahani and Adam Bessa do well enough in battle, but much like the plot, they needed more material to pull the audience in fully. Newcomers like Idris Elba are wasted on miniscule roles and the villains are passable but rarely reach memorable territory. We simply alternate between one side and the other with neither being all that interesting.

The action itself is very entertaining, easily beating out the first Extraction. This time the grand set piece is a prison break sequence that starts with an infiltration, moves through a brutal riot, flies through a four-wheel escape and caps it all off with a battle in the carriages of a moving train. It’s an astounding sequence that extends to over twenty minutes, always keeping the characters in frame and never pulling away from the brutal violence. Another great showdown in a luxury tower block generates a strong sense of vertigo and the final encounter is more restrained, focusing more on the mercenaries slugging it out in a church. The destructive scale is far larger than the first film with the camera moving between both Tyler and his enemies as they fight to come out on top. Chris Hemsworth and the other actors give their all once again with brilliant choreography and physicality, swapping between firearms, knives and fists with equal tenacity. The soundtrack delivers a rousing punch to every scene with no weak links in the set. Everything about Extraction 2’s action is primed for maximum engagement but the story connecting it together remains sub-par.

Extraction 2 is more ambitious than the original when it comes to the combat scenes; the one-take set piece, fight choreography and camera angles are all sublime. However, it forgets to expand on the most important aspects; story and characters. The first act feels rushed and the acting talent is very one-note, making it more difficult to get invested. You can still enjoy the directing on display, but this sequel needed to do more than that.

Rating: 3/5 Stars (Fair)