Extraction - Movie Review

Extraction was directed by Sam Hargrave and stars Chris Hemsworth as a mercenary that’s tracking down the son of a drug lord that was kidnapped in India. But as his mission turns deadly very quickly he begins to realize this kid has sought after by a lot more people than he originally thought. This film premiered on Netflix today and I gave it a watch.  Because it's written by Joe Russo  produced by him and his brother Anthony  and it's directed by Sam Hargrave the  veteran stunt coordinator of the  Avengers movies some of the Pirates of  the Caribbean films  he's been around doing stunt work for a  while. And this is his first time behind the camera and in the past I would have been like who's stunt man making a movie but ever since the John wick films I don’t take anything for granted. And his past work as a stunt coordinator is obvious throughout this movie. The action scenes are mind-blowing. There are at least a couple scenes in this movie that are some of the best hand-to-hand combat I’ve seen recently in a movie. There’s one in particular that's about an 11 minute simulated one take you can tell where some of the cuts are but the effect is pretty seamless and this sequence in particular has the potential to be an all-timer in regards to action scenes I think this movie will be studied by stunt coordinators and people who want to work as stunt people. It's an extremely violent movie, Chris Hemsworth is killing motherfuckers left and right ripping off heads throwing people into brick walls tossing people around people are getting hit by trucks and just fucking flying into the air. It's really fun stuff if you're an action movie junkie and despite its VOD like  title, a title that seems like it would  star Michael Madsen and Bruce Willis and  be at the bottom of a bin at your local  Walmart. This movie was a lot better than  I expected it to be. I'll put it this way I’ve turned off a lot of Netflix movies  way through I didn't turn this one off.  All that being said it will definitely not be studied for its characterization  or its subtlety or its plot this is a  very bare-bones plot Chris hemsworth is  a mercenary. He's got a bit of a traumatic past, he's been hired to track  down this kid and bring him to safety.  The movie doesn't try to be too much else. It knows exactly what it is and  it's pretty good at being that. And it's  pretty okay with being that if this was  being written by a spec writer, someone  who isn't Joe Russo, someone who wants to  get into the business it would probably  be thrown back into their face saying  look this is just some straight-to-DVD  shit you're never gonna get this made  just forget it  but since Joe Russo's behind it and  Anthony Russo the film got made and  obviously this is the Avengers team  figuring out how to make a cool action  movie that could be on Netflix and I'm  excited for Sam Hargrave forgetting to  direct this movie because he shows a  real flair for this type of action work.  But there's definitely something to be  said about the fact that movie doesn't  really have that much else to offer  beyond the action scenes and Chris  Hemsworth's extreme likability and  charisma in the lead role. He's very good  in the film he does a lot of the stuff  himself the stunt team again I must say  is just remarkable in this movie and  they can't be given enough praise. if  you don't really care that much about  action films and you'd rather be  invested in the characters in the  situation and the drama of the moment  you're not going to get as much of that. Although they do give about as much as  they can to a plot that is as fast as  this. There's enough of a backstory for  Chris Hemsworth to get invested in him  and to feel for him in a way we've kind  of strayed away from the Cobras and the  Predators of the 80's where heroes  spouted one-liners and now we have  really tragic backstories for our main  characters instead. There's still some  fun to be had in this movie but I can  understand why some people might  actually think it's a little too violent  that's not a problem for me though I  don't watch a movie like this expecting  it to be tame and in a world where  everyone loves John wick I'm surprised  that so many critics have actually  complained about the violence well I can  understand it does surprise me. I have a  feeling it's probably because John wick  is a more pulpy experience it's a little  more fun extraction is more hard  edged. Although the action is  over-the-top it feels a little more  plausible and so it's a little harder to  disconnect from the fact that you're  watching a movie and in some ways some  of the violence in the movie might  bother some it didn't bother me it's a  movie it's a fiction. Although I  don't really expect that much more than  some great action out of a movie called  extraction directed by a stunt  coordinator. I would have liked to have seen a lot more characterization given to the kid that he's rescuing. Hemsworth gets some you understand his backstory eventually and you can relate to him but  the kid he likes to play piano. He occasionally moves his fingers on his knee like he's playing piano to calm  himself down but besides that you don't  really know that much about him. He's a  son of a ruthless crime lord  what's his life like what's it like  being the son of a crime lord having a  target on your back just to get at your  dad that's interesting and they don't  explore enough of that I think that  could have really helped a movie. Still there’s in particular that 11-minute one-take scene and then there's like a  hand-to-hand combat scene where  Hemsworth is just tossin dudes around a  brick building. Really amazing stuff and I found myself pretty riveted by the action scenes. But you're not gonna get  that level of attention with the  characters in this movie and sometimes I  can really be in the mood for one of  those I'm gonna give extraction a “B”. it’s on Netflix right now give it a watch if  you just want to watch some really great  action scenes.