Now that Joe and Anthony Russo (Avengers: Infinity War) are done with Marvel’s Infinity Saga, they’ve occupied themselves with landing jobs for some of their Marvel buddies. First they produced 21 Bridges with Chadwick Boseman (Black Panther). Now they’re producing Extraction starring Chris Hemsworth, more commonly known as Thor. It just goes to show that it really is all about who you know. And while neither actor is done with Marvel, I’m sure they appreciate it all the same.
Compared to a superhero film, the plot of an action movie like Extraction is pretty simple: mercenary Tyler Rake (Hemsworth) must rescue Ovi Mahajan (Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Mahabharat), the son of an Indian gangster, from a rival gang. However, the story is still based on a comic. Extraction is an adaptation by Joe Russo of his own graphic novel, directed by Sam Hargrave, the former stunt coordinator for several superhero films, including Avengers: Endgame. I was honestly not expecting this, but it’s nice to see one of the Russos more involved in the movie besides just producing it.
The story is not why you watch this movie, though…not by a long shot. You watch Extraction for the action. And while I don’t consider myself to be a bona fide action expert, the action in the film is quite impressive. Maybe if you slow it down you can see where the stuntmen hit their marks, but I’m going to give the movie the benefit of the doubt. The best part is the film keeps shaky-cam, close-ups, and quick cuts to a minimum. In fact, there are quite a few tracking shots, though they might have been digitally stitched together. Either way, it’s well-choreographed and clear what’s going on. If you’re looking for a comparison, John Wick definitely comes to mind.
I will mention the story a little, but only out of obligation. The gang stuff is interesting, if a little generic. A surprising amount of this movie is in Hindi and Bengali, which makes it feel like a missed opportunity to cast an Indian or Bangladeshi in the lead role. From what I understand, Russo already switched the location from Latin America to India and Bangladesh. Why not just make all the characters from the region?
This is isn’t to say Chris Hemsworth isn’t good. In fact, Chris Hemsworth has come a long way in his career. While he’s now primarily known for his comedic performances, he can do drama and brings the necessary level of emotion to the role, hackneyed as it may be.
The story doesn’t provide enough fresh material to make it a great movie, but with theaters closed and big releases pushed back, people need an escape. If you’re into R-rated one-man army heroics, you could do a lot worse than Netflix’s Extraction.
