Platform diving/opinion

‘Extraction 2’: Superior sequel

Extraction 2. Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake in Extraction 2. Cr. Jasin Boland/Netflix © 2023
Extraction 2. Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake in Extraction 2. Cr. Jasin Boland/Netflix © 2023

The first "Extraction" movie came out about a month into lockdown from the pandemic, and I remember Netflix was one of the few places still releasing new movies. Theaters had all closed, and the streaming giant decided to burn through all the content it could in order to keep isolated folks watching its shows and movies.

With a big name like Chris Hemsworth in the gun chair, "Extraction" offered a serviceable action flick. The two things that wowed me most were the cinematography and fight choreography. Fast forward to today, and Netflix is releasing its sequel, simply titled "Extraction 2." And Director Sam Hargrave learned how to improve on the first entry in every way.

Hemsworth is back in a movie that ties a bit more into his thin character backstory. What do audiences need to know about Tyler Rake (Hemsworth) going in? He's an Australian veteran who now works as a mercenary extracting targets from deadly situations.

"Extraction" ended with Rake being shot in the neck and falling into a river. The ending was vague on whether the mercenary survived (undoubtedly to leave the door open in case Netflix wanted to order a sequel).

The sequel begins with Rake being found on the riverbank and medflighted to a hospital in the UAE. Doctors urge Tyler's mercenary partner, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani), to consider letting him die. But she insists Rake be given a chance to wake up. One day, he does.

After grueling physical therapy, Nik and her brother, Yaz (Adam Bessa), drop Rake off at a remote cabin with his dog, wishing him a happy retirement. Bitter at the life he's left with, Rake spends his time watching television and buying chickens to raise. One day, he's visited by an unnamed stranger (Idris Elba) looking to hire him for a job.

The stranger tells Rake his former sister-in-law and her children are being held in a Georgian prison. They are being kept there by her abusive, incarcerated husband. Rake accepts the job and begins training to regain his strength and combat prowess. But he soon learns that getting his ex-family out of prison is the easy part, especially when a gang of religious fanatics comes to kill them all.

We didn't have tons of entertainment options during the pandemic. Even a new Christopher Nolan movie really failed to move the needle at the box office. So if you're wondering how "Extraction 2" can grab some eyeballs at a time when the pandemic is apparently (kinda sorta) over, let me be the first to say it faces stiff competition.

In theaters this week we've got a new comic-book movie, a new Pixar film, and what's sure to be a new cinematic gem from Wes Anderson. Talk about crowded. But all of those movies are in the theater. "Extraction 2" can be watched from home where, as my editor Philip Martin says, "the snacks are cheaper."

"Extraction 2" sees everything that worked in the prior film dialed up to 11. The first movie had an amazing car chase. This movie has a spectacular car chase, plus a train chase. "Extraction" had a few long takes that made for great action. "Extraction 2" seems like nothing but long takes that make for top-tier action.

You can especially see it in the prison break. The movie just goes minute after minute with these phenomenal tracking shots down hallways, around corners, and behind gunfighters. I lost count of the number of times I shouted to my wife, "This is all one take!" And it's so damn refreshing when it seems like every other action movie (including chunks of the MCU) is filled with cut after cut after cut during jumpy fight scenes.

"Extraction 2" wants you to see the action without missing things each time you blink. And boy does it have some of the best stunts and fight choreography to show off. I know "John Wick" has raised the bar for fight scenes. But this movie has a lot to offer as well. Cinematographer Greg Baldi tossed this movie into a slow cooker for three years, and the result is action scenes that are tender and tasty enough to make you ask, "Why isn't this on the big screen?"

This movie also wanted audiences to know that Rake isn't just a blank slate to be stuck in this film as a generic action hero. By tying his ex-family into the plot, he's more than just a gun for hire. He's fighting to protect his nephew and niece from ruthless thugs.

"Extraction 2" adds more human moments for Rake to make him someone we wanted to root for, someone worth resurrecting after the first movie. One of my favorite scenes is him winking at his ex-niece while they ride an elevator, to give her confidence that the mercenary can keep them safe. And she tries to wink back but doesn't quite manage to get it, closing both eyes. Tiny moments like that, along with Rake's teamwork beside Nik, make for a more enjoyable team to watch -- in the action and out of it.

I don't think it's often we see sequels that improve on the previous entry in a film series. But when it happens, it certainly makes me happy. When I get to watch something and then see a new movie two or three years later where the director and everyone else figured out how to make their characters and story better, I can't help but smile.

"Extraction 2" is a vast improvement over the original and certainly worth paying attention to in a crowded week for movies.

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