Review: 'Extraction' (2020) Dir. Sam Hargrave

Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda, Golshifteh Farahani, Pankaj Tripathi, David Harbour and Priyanshu Painyuli

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'Avengers: Endgame' directors, star and stunt coordinator collaborate once more to bring some action to Netflix...

Former Australian Special Air Service Regiment turned mercenary for hire Tyler Rake (Hemsworth) takes a job in Dhaka, Bangladesh to rescue Ovi Mahajan Jr (Jaiswal), kidnapped son of an Indian drug lord.

With the help of his team led by Nik (Farahani), Rake reaches Ovi and proceeds to the extraction point. But it turns out someone else is after Ovi.

With the city police and mercenary Saju (Hooda) hunting them, Rake must use his military training and decide who he can really trust to help make it out alive...

The next product influenced by the stylish gunplay ballet of 'John Wick' comes to life with help from Marvel hot property Joe and Anthony Russo, stunt talent Sam Hargrave and actor Chris Hemsworth. It's also a product that, away from the 'Taken'-esque plot and loud, bloody action sequences, is all flash and not enough substance riding on the MCU team who brought it to life.

Featuring a near perfectly edited together sequence over the half-hour mark that gives the illusion of a seamless 15 minute one-shot take, it's clear the talent are at the top of their game. Away from the low budget visual effects, the choreography, production detail and cinematography all work in unison for a very real looking action fest ripping and roaring across the Dhaka streets

The action comes thick and fast in more than capable hands, with only a few pockets in the narrative to slow down and have some exposition and character background thrown your way.

Hemsworth is convincing as a more than capable former special forces soldier, but almost becomes cardboard due to the typical washed-up, nothing to lose, pill swallowing mercenary he plays we see so often in this style of flick. While his acting is solid and his talent as an action star is right there for all to see, he doesn't have to stretch too much to get this role right.

Director Sam Hargrave makes this his debut directorial effort, and when you understand his connections to the Russos and Hemsworth in the aforementioned MCU, this really does just sound like a big expensive Netflix backed playground for them all to have fun in. With Hargrave at the helm, the stunt work and action sequences are flawless, with plenty of shots that let you see fights and shoot-outs unfurl before your eyes.

A rather amusing sequence features Hemsworth taking down a group of armed youths hired as a hit squad - as much as he wants to blow them away with the blink of an eye, he restrains himself to throwing them around and slapping them around the head as he disarms their knives and shotguns - as he calls them, the "Goonies from hell".

With stellar Indian talent including young Rudhraksh Jaiswal, just-as-deadly-with-a-gun Randeep Hooda and the beautiful Golshifteh Farahani, this could have easily been a successful film in the domestic Eastern market, but this is coated with that Western Hollywood style. 

A redeeming factor is at least this is a nice looking film, as authentic as it can get for an international film with Eastern culture meeting Western style, but with little new to add to the merc for hire story or action thriller we know so well, especially with action so comparable to the likes of the aforementioned Mr Wick.

Popcorn thrills and loud nonsense for the small screen, but not forgiven for disgustingly recycling 'Saving Private Ryan' crossed with 'Terminator 2' for their climax.

'Extraction' is an AGBO / India Take One Productions film