By: John M Jerva

Welcome to the sixth installment of Firepower Fridays as we take a look at some of the most explosive, in your face, bullet filled action sequences in cinematic history!

Happy New Year to everyone and I am here with the first bullet filled Firepower Friday for 2021! To usher in the new year, I have chosen an action drenched clip from my number one pick for action film of the year which is Extraction starring Chris Hemsworth in director Sam Hargrave’s adrenaline pumping thriller about a black market mercenary who runs a gauntlet of killers and soldiers to protect the life of an innocent boy. The movie premiered in March of last year just as the pandemic was starting to break out in the US and this film certainly delivered some much needed quarantine entertainment for audiences starving for some good ‘ol action.

The movie was locked and loaded with some of the most amazing action set pieces and Hargrave signaled his arrival as one of the top directors in the action genre after years of cutting his teeth in the stunt world. Extraction was everyhting as advertised and Hemsworth, like I said in my initial review of the film, cemented his status as an action hero in the bruising and blistering thriller that dispensed millions of rounds of ammunition. When I was working on my Top 10 list for 2020, I had already picked this film as my number one all the way back in March when I first saw it and even though there was still a lot of great entries in the genre this year even with all the release delays, I felt that this movie really delivered on all levels.

The scene I have chosen, and there were many to choose from let me tell you, is the finale of the flick so if you haven’t seen it yet then stay clear because I get spoilery with this one. Growing up and watching all the great action films throughout the years, there has always been one type of scene that always drew me in and that was the heroe’s last stand. There’s just something about an action scene where our hero sacrifces himself for a greater cause and here Hemsworth’s Tyler Rake does exactly that as he takes out a horde of soldiers before ultimately being taken down himself. Now for those of you that have seen the film, it’s ambiguous as to if Rake lives or dies but I believe from the final shot of the movie, that that was indeed Rake standing off in the distance.

The finale on the bridge is loaded with specatcualr combat choreography and Hemsworth excels in the stunts department and looks the part of a hardened mercenary with years of combat training under his belt. I feel that with this movie, and I know I’m going to tsake some heat for this, but with this movie, Hemsworth deserves to be mentioned in the same breath as some iconic action heroes like Stallone, Norris and Schwarzenegger. Chris was no stranger to action after starring as Thor in the MCU but here he really drives it home as this is old school kick ass military style action that gets your fists pumping and Extraction is on the same level as Commando and Rambo in my book. Try to change my mind, I dare you! Sure Stallone and Schwarzenegger were over the top in a great way but Hemsworth is more realistic in his portrayal of an ex-special forces soldier turned mercenary who is burnt out and suicidal after experiencing a tragedy in his life.

We will definitely see Tyler Rake again and whether it’s a prequel, a sequel, or both, I’m positive that the next films in the future will deliver the same heart stopping action from start to finish. With that, I give you the explosive, bullet riddled conclusion to Extraction which is my pick for the number one action film of 2020. Enjoy and Happy New Year!!!

Now you know that I always love to give you a little extra on the site so check out this awesome music video courtesy of YouTuber MoVie featuring the great song Legends Never Die. This song is perfect for the movie and it really elevates the dramatic aspect of the action. Enjoy!