Extraction 2

There is a subsection of the action genre that has been growing at an extreme speed this past decade. Following the arrival of John Wick, we've seen an increasingly large number of films that look to prioritise choreography and action over well-written narrative and themes. That's not a bad thing, as it means projects like {Bullet Train, Atomic Blonde, Nobody, and Extraction} get to see the light of day, and people clearly love these kinds of films as now Netflix is debuting the sequel to the latter of that group, {Extraction 2}. Seeing Chris Hemsworth back as {Tyler Rake}, this film is similar to John Wick and others in this very sub-genre, in that you know exactly what you're getting before the movie even starts playing - and if this kind of fast-paced, brilliantly designed action is what you're after, you'll feel right at home in {Extraction 2} as well.

The plot is pretty paper thin but then again, you don't come to {Extraction} for weighty narrative and character development, you come to see Hemsworth fight his way through hordes of gangsters and trained killers. It sees protagonist {Rake} heading to Georgia to rescue the sister of his ex-wife, a woman who has been trapped in a prison alongside her two children by her cruel gangster husband and the criminal syndicate operated in tandem with his brother. When the rescue ends up getting botched, {Rake} finds himself targeted by the brother who still lives and ends up being chased across Georgia and shot at while he attempts to protect the family and his friends.

As you can probably infer, {Extraction 2} takes some rather massive leaps in how it connects everything together. The fact that {Rake} is an Australian mercenary who just so happens to be the ex-husband of the woman whose sister is connected to this Georgian crime family is something that you just have to accept. It's in the same vein with how {Rake} even managed to survive all the sustained injuries and the dip in the rather horribly polluted Ganges in the first film. But then again, when Keanu Reeves falls off a 12-story building in John Wick, no one bats an eye when he gets up and keeps walking, as is the brilliance of these kinds of action movies.

And this is the charm of {Extraction 2} also. The narrative serves as a placeholder if anything, a platform to allow the team to construct all manner of well-choreographed and thrilling action sequences. The mega scene in the prison, which feels like it's a 15-minute single scene with how it is seamlessly shot, is pure action bliss that's gritty and violent. It flows effortlessly and makes you never want to look away in case you miss some minor moment that leaves you in awe of the cinematography. Director Sam Hargrave is a master of these kinds of moments and served up many in {Atomic Blonde} and the first {Extraction} film, and in this sequel, which feels like it has a lot of influence from producers {The Russo Brothers} at times, Hemsworth really comes to life as {Rake} once again, proving that he can be that epic action star beyond his role as Thor in the {Marvel} films.

While {Extraction 2} doesn't have the same level of on-the-nose, witty humour moments like the action epics of the 80s, there are still plenty of corny lines that make this film feel at home in the genre. One-liners that you can't help but almost cringe at when they are delivered, but that you know the movie would feel lacking without them all the same. And in the spirit of dialogue, {Extraction 2} does work in how it looks to further humanise {Rake} with character development. He doesn't feel as cold and isolating as he did in the original movie, even if he still comes across as an emotionless killer much of the time.

But the point is, {Extraction 2} knows what it is and doesn't look to attempt to be anything more or less than that. It's an action film that is thrilling and engaging all throughout and really suits this era of the genre and fits alongside the John Wicks and Bullet Train that are already out there. If you're looking for character performances and tight narrative and plot, then {Extraction 2} won't be the movie for you, but if you want to see incredibly well-rehearsed choreography and set pieces that make your jaw drop, you won't go wrong with this sequel.