You've heard this story before: a jaded, nothing-to-live-for mercenary is assigned to protect a kid, and the mission becomes a soul-searching journey for our stoic hero. Léon: the Professional, Terminator 2, and Logan, among others, have told this story before, and certainly with more flavor and mastery than Netflix's new Chris Hemsworth vehicle Extraction.
But that's not to say Extraction doesn't still make good use of a tired story.
Based on the graphic novel Ciudad by Ande Parks, Extraction tells the story of Tyler Rake (Hemsworth), a mercenary at the end of his rope, drinking away his life in a shack in Australia when an old work buddy, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani), calls on him for another mission. The target of this mission is Ovi Mahajan, the 15-year-old son of "the biggest drug lord in India." Ovi has been taken captive by Amir Asif, "the biggest drug lord in Bangladesh."
Ovi is the centerpiece of a massive crime feud, which Tyler refers to as "some mythic shit." Seems tame in comparison to fighting the Mad Titan Thanos in an intergalactic war for a reality-shaping super-weapon, but whatever, Tyler.
As could be expected, once Tyler finds and acquires Ovi, the two bond on their way out of town, between brutal hallway shootouts and fistfights.
The shootouts and fistfights are obviously the centerpiece here. Director Sam Hargrave has made a career as Hemsworth's stunt double throughout his Marvel career, as well as doing stunts and coordinating on countless other films for the last decade-and-a-half. Hargrave very much employs a "stuntman" style to the action sequences throughout; if you aren't sure what that means, John Wick and Atomic Blonde are good examples, both directed by stuntmen, or do a YouTube search for "previz stunts" and watch some of those. The camera work and editing is all designed to enhance the impact of every punch, kick, stab, or gunshot while still allowing you, the viewer, to clearly see what's going on.
And, boy, does the action hit. Hargrave and his stunt crew mix Eastern-style martial arts film maneuvers with Bourne trilogy improvised weapons, and a dash of John Wick-style "gun-fu." It's not a particularly ground-breaking mixture, but Hargrave is clearly a master of his domain, and directing has given him a chance to fully realize his own version of an action movie. That's fun to watch.
While the story here isn't necessarily the main appeal—it likely falls to a distant third, behind "brutal action" in the #1 spot, and "sweaty, muscly Hemsworth" in second—it does more with its ideas than one could have guessed from a star-vehicle Netflix movie from a first-time director, released amidst a national crisis. Tyler's and Ovi's bond is never the plucky, "soft kid meets violent hero" stuff you'd see in something more family-oriented or superhero-based. Their moments of mutual vulnerability come in slow, short-winded conversations through exhausted sighs and, occasionally, stifled tears. Both are fundamentally broken people, thanks to their circumstances—though the clear difference is that Tyler's were created by his own actions and mistakes. Hargrave shows considerable talent, in small bursts, dealing with the quieter, more intimate moments between the two. He's working from a script by Joe Russo, one of two directors behind Avengers: Endgame, which similarly took its time with the smaller moments in a movie that couldn't be bigger.
There aren't many beats in Extraction that can't be seen coming, but one standout element is Randeep Hooda as Saju, a mercenary who, like Tyler, is after Ovi for his own reasons. He plays more of a dual protagonist role than I would have expected, and Hooda may actually be more interesting to watch than Hemsworth. The two parallel hitmen end up reflecting more of each other than contrasting, and it makes for a much more dynamic conflict than Tyler simply dragging Ovi through piles of faceless goons. Plus, the two have some pretty cool fights.
Extraction doesn't reinvent the wheel—in fact, it hardly takes a second look at it—but thanks to Hargrave's expertise, it has enough fun with the action, and injects just enough flavor to the story to keep you watching through the slow moments. I'd say if Hargrave continues directing features, he may continue to impress. I'll certainly be watching.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L6P3nI6VnlY&t=34s&w=585