Extraction Movie Review

This is an article “Extraction” by Marc Primo

Release date: 24 April 2020 (USA)

Director: Sam Hargrave

Language: English

Production Companies: AGBO, Thematic Entertainment, India Take One Productions, T.G.I.M. Films

Producers: Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Chris Hemsworth, Eric Glitter, Peter Schwem

SPOILER ALERT-- There’s no surprise why this latest Chris Hemsworth starrer has become one of the top films out of Netflix this year. Aside from having most people quarantined in their homes and cinemas all over the world shuttered due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, the action-packed film set in Bangladesh but mostly filmed in India and Thailand doesn’t fall short of all the blasts and bullets that audiences love. However, some may still find this global hit to have too much firepower with little room for new ideas.

It’s safe to mention that a lot of audiences are already familiar with the kidnap-extraction storyline, and there’s already a surplus of Marvel-inspired choreographed fights and Michael Bay-type explosions in recent years, but how first-time director Sam Hargrave spliced the scenes in Extraction in a way that won’t bore viewers deserves at least a thumbs up.

Hemsworth carries the entire film on his shoulders as the mercenary unfortunately named Tyler Rake who was hired to retrieve the teenage son (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) of an Indian drug lord kidnapped by the latter’s mortal enemy, who also happens to be Bangladesh’s top drug kingpin. Upon his arrival in Bangladesh, Rake immediately senses how the local authorities are in cahoots with the drug gang, unleashing his inner Rambo to fight off everything that gets in his way. To make things worse, his employer was planning to turn against his extraction team so they won’t have to pay the fees while his trusted ex-military bff sells him out.

Wrestling with his past life as a loving father, Rake eventually develops a genuine, yet over the top and corny care for his rescued subject which forces him to dismiss the money and partner with Saju Rav, a high officer of the Indian drug group (played by Randeep Hooda) who was also tasked to retrieve the teen, so they can all get out of Bangladesh safely.

There’s no shortage of blood and gore in Extraction as Hargrave seemingly associates squirmish violence with effective storytelling. The extreme scenes might have been a little too excessive that even younger kids who are entangled in the drug wars were also subjected to body slams and sliced fingers. Audiences can feel the heat with an obvious yellow layer cast over scenes to give it a scorching effect. That works well for the action scenes though they can be a bit uncomfortable on the eyes at times. What surprises is the excellent camera work on long one-take scenes that will make you wonder how they were shot.

Dialogues delivered in Hindi and Bengali give the film a certain level of authenticity and while the film is mostly Hemsworth all the way, Bollywood heavyweights Hooda and Priyanshu Painyuli (as the Bangladesh drug boss) create their fair share of interesting scenes. But despite the great efforts of Hemsworth and his co-stars, the overall feel of Extraction remains ominous and gloomy and you’d have to wait for the end scene in order to feel something fun and happy about it.

If you are looking for something that’s absolutely action-packed and comes along with an easy to digest story, Extraction is definitely for you. Somehow, detaching yourself from the characters can give you a sigh of relief as you simply enjoy scene after scene of things blowing up and bodies falling to the floor.

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