Review: Extraction
Those who do not fancy seeing Chris Hemsworth knock several shades of everything out of people half his size should look away.
Though he does do it in an entertaining and inventive manner as Tyler Rake in Extraction, which is currently streaming on Netflix.
There is plenty to like about this collaboration by Avengers: Endgame's stunt co-ordinator Sam Hargrave and directors the Russo Brothers (who produced this) - though this action thriller is far from Disney-friendly.
It is refreshing to see a proper star vehicle again. In an alternate non-Covid-19 universe, this would be fighting for attention between a Bond and a Black Widow.
It is also great to see Hemsworth denied the opportunity to flex his comedy skills - which for this reviewer have been flexed to exhaustion.
Serious suits him. You forget what a presence he can be when not trying to do improv.
It is also refreshing that it is set in Bangladesh rather than the Hollywood kidnapping go-to of Mexico. Though Bangladesh may not appreciate the portrayal, it does add a palpable layer of difficulty for Hemsworth's character.
Outside of the location, a lot will seem familiar.
A stoic, damaged soldier with a death wish and deadly skills, an innocent he bonds with, a race to safety. These are not deep character studies. Oddly, it is Randeep Hooda's character Saju, Rake's nemesis, that is given the more complex character.
Not that we need to know too much. It is in the action where Extraction really takes off.
From the moment Hemsworth takes out a room of short-if-cocky kidnappers - he is at least a foot taller than most of them - in the most brutal style, it grabs and does not let go.
Visceral, breathless, wince-worthy.
The joins for the one-shot (all 12 minutes of it) may be visiblebut the quality of the choreography makes up for it - whether it is frenetic driving through crowded side streets, a back alley knife fight, or tetchily dispatching a gang of urchins.
Comparisons with John Wick are unavoidable - stuntman director, linear story, emphasis on in-camera, non-CGI action.
Better action scenes are no bad thing, but it is time to start matching them with more enthralling stories or they run the risk of being empty gestures.
If Extraction does not become a franchise for Hemsworth, the people behind a certain spy's soon-to-be vacated tuxedo may well view this as an audition.
SCORE: 3.5/5
FILM: Extraction
STARRING: Chris Hemsworth, Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Randeep Hooda, Golshifteh Farahani, David Harbour
DIRECTOR: Sam Hargrave
THE SKINNY: Mercenary Tyler Rake (Hemsworth) is hired to rescue the son (Jaiswal) of an Indian drug lord from a rival drug lord in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The job soon goes wrong.
RATING: NC16
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now
