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By: The Cinema Drunkie
Chris Hemsworth was born in the wrong decade. The star of Marvel’s Thor series and one of the major components in the ginormous MCU franchise seems more like a star that could have been a huge star in the 80s alongside the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger. That thought is made no more apparent than in his latest film, Netflix’s Extraction.
From debuting director Sam Hargrave, career stuntman and second unit director on such films as Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame, Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, & Wolf Warrior 2, comes the tale of Tyler Rake, a covert mercenary still reeling from the loss of his young son years prior, who’s tasked with rescuing the son of an imprisoned crime lord. But as it quickly turns out, that is easier said than done as the mission takes a hard left, and Rake and the kid must go on the run from basically everyone.
Ladies and gentlemen, Netflix has done it again! After the mega jolt of action that was 6 Underground, and now this, they’re proving to be a force to be reckoned with in producing pure action entertainment. And pure action entertainment this is. This thing is an absolute rollercoaster ride of adrenaline and emotion. Director Hargrave infuses the proceedings with unmitigated thrills and suspense that can only come from an expert of his stature.
But let’s get into the cast for a second, namely Hemsworth. Hemsworth absolutely does the forefathers of action proud with his performance in this, as both an actor and action performer. The man is a machine of the Keanu Reeves variety, brimming with just as much sheer electricity during the numerous action scenes as in the dramatic sequences. Kudos to you, Thor Odinson.
Also, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Hemsworth’s young co-star, handles himself exceptionally well for being a kid in an action movie. Most of them tend to get very annoying very fast, but the young actor shows he was definitely up to the challenge. Randeep Hooda, who plays Saju, the boy’s bodyguard, also greatly impresses, with a fine dramatic turn as well as an awesome action performance. But the shining star award goes to David Harbour, who has a grand ole time in an all too brief appearance in the film.
Now, let’s get down to business here: the action scenes are top-freaking-notch. Hargrave and the stunt team have masterfully orchestrated some damn fine action sequences here, folks. Damn fine. We get shootouts, fist fights, car chases, explosions, the works. But the showstopper here is a 12 minute sequence simulated to look like a oner, and it is absolutely magnificent! If you thought the oners in Atomic Blonde & Daredevil were amazing, prepare to be blown away by this one. Hargrave has proven unequivocally that he is a force to be reckoned with in the action genre, and this is only his first feature. Bravo, Mr. Hargrave. To you and your stunt team, I give a hearty thank you for putting in such exceptional work.
Any problems? The script, by producer Joe Russo, is cliched in the extreme. You can see where everything is going from a mile away. While the movie is entertaining nonetheless, it would’ve been nice to have been surprised story wise.
But other than that, this without a doubt gets my vote for the best action movie of the year. And if this is the type of action film Netflix is going to be putting out, I feel I’m going to be saying that a lot.
About The Aurthor: With his mind utterly intoxicated off of a steady stream of movies, comics and cartoons, a young boy from Brooklyn, New York grew up to become the man known as… THE CINEMA DRUNKIE!!! https://thecinemadrunkie.wordpress.com/
Looking forward to watching this based on your review!!
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