By Seth Lukas Hynes
Extraction 2
Starring Chris Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani and Adam Bessa
Rated MA15+
4.25/5
The sequel to 2020’s Extraction, Extraction 2 is a filling action banquet and a compelling expansion of the first film’s foundations.
Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth), an elite Black Ops mercenary, is dispatched to Georgia to rescue a mother and her children from the father’s brutal gang.
The Extraction and John Wick series are both a resounding testament to the quality of action movies directed by stuntmen (Sam Hargrave and Chad Stahelski, respectively).
John Wick is more stylised and Extraction more gritty, but both series show an outstanding understanding of timing, geography, fatigue, exciting but efficient choreography and rising tension.
John Wick: Chapter Four from earlier this year has a phenomenal overhead action sequence, but Extraction 2’s first act features a gobsmacking one-shot gauntlet, running approximately 23 minutes, with hand-to-hand combat, gunplay and even a gnarly helicopter shootout on a train. This sequence has a 1917 or Birdman-level finesse in how it seamlessly stitches together hundreds of takes into the illusion of a single take, and I will be very disappointed if Extraction 2 is ignored for Editing at the Oscars.
Hemsworth is a dependable gruff action lead, but is given more depth this time. Golshifteh Farahani, as Tyler’s mercenary partner Nik, has a far more proactive role in the action than in the first film, and Adam Bessa is amusing as fellow partner Yaz, a wisecracker with a heart of gold. Extraction 2 has engaging threads of vengeance, family loyalty, regret and innocence, but these themes never overshadow the action.
While the first Extraction is mostly set in Bangladesh, Extraction 2 jumps between several countries, full of varied locations and inventive set-pieces, but never returns to the staggering intensity and technique of the aforementioned one-shot.
An enthralling action extravaganza, Extraction 2 is available for streaming on Netflix.
– Seth Lukas Hynes
