THE FOLLOWING REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS OF THE DISCUSSED FILM. READERS DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
With the limited amount of theatrical films we have in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic causing everything including theaters to be shut down, the streaming services such as Netflix do their best to bring a cinematic experience at home as they have done for quite some time. With the release of Extraction, Netflix succeeds in doing so.
PLOT
The film follows black market mercenary Tyler Rake, who is hired to save Ovi Mahajan Jr., the son of a crime lord from opposing rival Amir Asif. Rake leads a team recruited by his friend Nik Khan, to rescue the boy but Ovi Sr. hires his men to kill Rake’s crew in order to avoid paying them. When word gets out that Ovi Jr. escaped, Asif summons lockdown in the city of Dhaka. After escaping Saju, Ovi Sr.‘s top henchman, Rake still intends to protect Jr. despite being aware that he’s not getting paid. He and the boy hide out with a friend named Gaspar, but their stay doesn’t last long when Gaspar attempts to take a bounty on him. He attempts to fight his now former friend but is shot by Ovi. Rake then calls Saju for help in order to team up and escape Dhaka. When crossing a bridge checkpoint, Rake draws attention for Saju to take Ovi. Nick awaits the opposite side with a chopper but Asif notices afar via binoculars. A firefight ensues and Safu is shot down by Asif’s Colonel Rashid by a sniper, who in turn gets sniped by Nik. Rake also gets shot down and falls into a river as Ovi makes it to the chopper. Some time later, the film ends with Nik killing Asif and a mysterious man that resembles Rake, watching Ovi afar at a swimming pool.
THOUGHTS
After seeing this film, the first I said aloud was ‘Whoa’ because this was an action film that did not disappoint. With low expectations, they quickly exceeded when things went in motion. This movie would've not worked out without a memorable lead. Chris Hemsworth gives another great performance outside the iconic role of Thor and succeeds in making a brand new badass character out of Tyler Rake. We don't exactly root for him at first glance when you see him due to his attitude but we do know off of body language and minor flashbacks that he is broken. He is a man who has nothing else to lose, ready to put his life on the line for a child he doesn’t know. When he opens up about his deceased son, this implies that taking Ovi Jr. home is his redemption. Seeing him put his life on the line for this kid taught me to never doubt what you're capable of because you can still surprise people with what you can do. Every action sequence that is displayed delivers including the twelve minute sequence done in one take, that is shot so incredibly. Director Sam Hargrave and Cinematographer Newton Thomas Siegel was able to create the experience that we miss in the big screen and we can't help but thank them for it. Hargrove is also a stunt coordinator for multiple MCU films. I don’t mind the editing on their end but it oddly looks better here than there. Point is is that Marvel Studios should learn from this film and have a better process when editing. Even on smaller scales, Joe Russo of the Russo Brothers wrote a story that is creative and fails to be disappointing. While Hemsworth is the star, there were still likable performances aside from him. With the screen time that was given, it was pretty cool seeing David Harbour in this movie playing a different kind of role. Because of seeing him in mostly likable roles, I was definitely get caught off guard of his betrayal to Tyler. Breakout Rudhraksh Jaiswal gives a good performance as the innocent Ovi Mahajan Jr. While there isn't much screen time of Golshifteh Farahani, you enjoy what she provides as Nik Khan. I also enjoyed Randeep Hooda as Saju because he’s a henchman that has a fair motive to protect Ovi. He wants to ensure his family is left alone during this mission. And because he died protecting him, you can admit that they are as safe as Ovi is. Even though I enjoyed this movie a lot, I can’t help but admit that there’s some stuff that bother me. In the first action scene, there was a shooting but none of the bullets ricocheted in Ovi’s room, which is something I have a hard time believing. It would be more believable if there was a few holes spotted and say it was luck that he didn’t get shot. The only time I really felt pulled was whenever Farhad was onscreen. He’s a kid who is sucked into Asif’s world. The child actor Suraj Rikame does good with the part but it’s hard to care for a child that’s willing to accept his new lifestyle after cutting his fingers and lead a group of other kids who attack Tyler and fail easily. I mean you just hate him when he shoots Tyler near the end. Lastly, it is odd how the door is open to speculate how Tyler could have survived that bridge shoot out in the film's climax, but if it is true and he was watching over Ovi at the pool in the film’s ending, then it is hard to digest what will he do if he continues to be around this kid's life. Putting it aside, Extraction is an action film that has a solid script and provides incredible action. Watch this movie if you have Netflix and are a fan of the action genre.
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