No Surrender Cinema: Extraction (2020)
If you’ve been a fan of this site for any amount of time, you know that when there’s a new Netflix premiere, a new edition of No Surrender Cinema is not far behind! In this column I’m going to take a look at the most recent action-oriented release on the popular streaming platform which stars none other than The Mighty Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth. Is Extraction a cure for the quarantine blues, or is our leading man a better superhero than an action hero? Let’s find out!
(Warning: if you choose to continue reading this review, there will be some spoilers for Extraction. Don’t say I didn’t tell you so!)
Based on the graphic novel Ciudad, Extraction reunites Hemsworth with the Russo Brothers (the siblings, who produced several of the Marvel Cinematic Universe blockbusters, including Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame). In this film, Hemsworth trades in the mystical hammer for an assault rifle for his portrayal of mercenary Tyler Rake. Rake is an unflinching, stone faced assassin, which you could blame on the line of work he’s in, although brief glimpses show the audience that Rake is being haunted by something from his past. When the son of a notorious drug dealer is kidnapped on orders from his rival Amir Asif, the druglord orders his henchman to hire Rake and his crew for the rescue mission. Rake accepts, and it’s not long before he finds himself caught up in a web of deception and danger as he tries to avoid the rival crew that’s trying to kill them both, and Saju (the henchman who hired him in the first place) trying to take him out so that he can be recognized as the boy’s savior and ensure the safety of his own family.
The Bangladesh setting combined with the storyline gives Extraction a very Call of Duty heavy feel. Bullets are dodged, throats are slashed, and Rake is unrelenting in his promise to complete the mission. Even when Rake and the boy, Ovi, find safe haven with one of Rake’s old buddies, Gaspar (David Harbour, aka Hopper from Stranger Things), it’s not long before the situation takes a dark turn and Tyler finds out that his ol’ buddy has cut a deal on the side to kill Ovi and collect $10 million that he’s ready to split with Rake. Tyler takes the betrayal as well as you’d expect him to, and his friendship with Gaspar meets its ultimate end after Tyler prevents him from putting a bullet between Ovi’s eyes.
Rake, having now bonded with Ovi after revealing to him the troubling incident from his past, fills the void left by Gaspar by forging a new alliance with Saju. Realizing that they both have his survival as their key priority, the two join forces for the final act, as they battle corrupt police and military who were paid off by Amir. The last 30 minutes of Extraction is an exhilarating sequence, featuring heroes and villains alike battling through a complete war zone. It’s also here in the third act where the film shines, because the action is balanced by the climax of several of the stories being told throughout the film. They’re not twists for the sake of shock value, as by the time the credits start, everything has been paid off in some form or another.
Extraction may not be an epic masterpiece that will go down in cinematic history like the Marvel films that they are best known for, but the Russo Brothers have another winner on their hands here. The frantic pace of the action seems like it’s almost too much at times, because there were a few points where I felt a little lost, but there’s nothing that’s hard to decipher here. The fight scenes gave me a strong Drive vibe as Tyler was swinging people around with gusto and using whatever weaponry he had at his disposal. I also appreciated the fact that Extraction pulled no punches with the usage of the street kids as foils for Tyler. Although he went a little easier on them than everyone else in his way, there were no cutesy moments, one liners, or “soft” fights to save the viewers from seeing kids get knocked around. These kids were told to be killers, and they were treated as such by our hero, and viewers will be surprised to see how that whole story plays out.
Extraction just went up on Netflix in time for the weekend, and if you’re looking for a way to take your mind off of the worries of the world then this is a fine way to do it. Made from equal parts grit and heart, the Russo’s did a fine job (though it doesn’t hurt that Joe Russo wrote the source material) and Hemsworth could very easily become an action icon if he can continue finding roles like this. This one gets the No Surrender Cinema stamp of approval, so go add it to your queue and immerse yourself in this two hour thrill ride as soon as you can.
