Extraction 2 Review – Chris Hemsworth, dir. Sam Hargrave

by Fanboy SEO · July 3, 2023

Here’s my Extraction 2 review which is now streaming on Netflix directed by Sam Hargrave and starring Chris Hemsworth!

Tyler Rake lives and after his recent visit to Manila, I have to say they were telling the truth that this sequel to Extraction was bigger, bloodier and grittier.

The film is set nine months after the events of the first movie with Hemsworth’s Rake returning to the extraction business after recovering from the massive injuries he sustained in the first film. This mission though is definitely closer to home and more personal with him extracting his ex-wife’s sister and her kids. The family has been living in a prison in Georgia (the country not the state in the US) and has been married to a powerful crime boss Davit Radiani (Tornike Bziava). He wants them in prison where he’s serving a sentence that’s been extended for ten years and she wants out.

What would have been a standard extraction turns into a souped up, bloody adventure killfest with the handsome Aussie showing more of his melee action prowess while getting beaten and bloodied all across Europe.

Director Hargraves had noted during the special presscon we attended in Conrad Hotel in Pasay City before the red carpet premiere that they took extra special care in shooting this 21 minute prison escape sequence and he was right. By jove he was right.

Not only was he right but he also didn’t mention the little details that came in those scenes like Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili) doing her own little bits in those intense prison scenes. I liked the choreography through and through. It’s definitely bigger and bolder than the first one and that was already a pretty good action flick.

Hemsworth as Rake brings considerable more meat to the role. In the first one, he was this reserved, broken man and in this one, he’s got more conviction which makes him a more sympathetic action hero rather than a stone cold action hero. But there is a cap to that though as by the third act, its back to the usual blood-spilling we’re used to. But at least Rake as a character has grown significantly from the first film which is alright in my book. There is a bit of lowering expectations that needs to happen though as there are some moments in the film that makes you scratch your head and go “what the Stallone was that?”. All honesty though, its nice that they have this 80s action hero vibe to the film what with Hemsworth really standing tall against most of his opponents.

Also love the cameos in this one from Idris Elba (who worked with Hemsworth previously in the three Thor movies and a glorified cameo in Avengers: Infinity War and Thor: Love and Thunder) to a guest appearance by Olga Kurylenko (yes Taskmaster herself) as Tyler Rake’s ex-wife Mia. I wish the Russos could pull in more of their MCU friends to make an appearance in this movie.

One of our dear friends here in the viewing experience is the camera and the camera man as the movements are smooth and totally improved from the first movie. It’s like there was one moment in the film where Rake makes a sweep inside a room he and his clients go in and the camera sweeps along the movement. I kinda remember seeing this style too in that other Russo action movie, The Gray Man starring Ryan Gosling. It’s also nice to watch an action movie that doesn’t rely too heavily on CGI to get our blood pumping what with all the recent 2023 releases going all out on CG and visual effects.

Overall, the action scenes were pretty intense, I liked the grit and grime feel of the film even if it did kind of look sanitized to say the least. I liked Hemsworth as Tyler Rake and I definitely want to see him especially since things suddenly became bigger for this film franchise. And I liked that even if we kinda know its not a one take, they managed to make it look like a one-take. Very innovative if you ask me.

9/10

Follow me on Twitter and Instagram