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Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake in a still from “Extraction 2”, in which his mercenary character must extract a Georgian gangster’s wife from a high-security prison. Photo: Netflix
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Review | Netflix movie review: Extraction 2 – Chris Hemsworth returns for another no-nonsense action showcase

  • Chris Hemsworth is back as mercenary Tyler Rake, this time on a mission in the Caucasus to rescue his sister-in-law and family from a prison
  • Hemsworth puts on an impressive physical performance, and the film has an amazing 21-minute unbroken action sequence
American cinema
James Marsh
James Marsh
Why you can trust SCMP

3/5 stars

In an era of cutthroat competition between monolithic streaming platforms with seemingly bottomless pockets, straight-to-video action fare has been elevated to blockbuster status, boasting A-list casts and budgets spiralling into hundreds of millions of dollars.

Extraction 2, written by Joe Russo (Avengers: Endgame) and directed by former stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave, has a plot so simple it could fit on a shell casing. But as Chris Hemsworth blasts his way breathlessly through exotic, hostile locations, Netflix appears fully prepared to fight off whatever Disney, Apple or Amazon may throw at it.

Back in summer 2020, when most of the world was in lockdown and confined to sofas, Netflix released muscular action thriller Extraction, in which Hemsworth’s mercenary, Tyler Rake, is dispatched to Bangladesh to rescue the son of an Indian gangster.

Directed by Hargrave, who oversaw the action scenes in numerous Marvel offerings as well as Wu Jing’s Chinese mega-hit Wolf Warrior 2, Extraction quickly became the most-streamed film in Netflix’s history.

The inevitable sequel presents an almost identical premise, albeit transferred from Southeast Asia to the Caucasus, but Extraction 2 outdoes its predecessor with its relentless action and wince-inducing violence.

Golshifteh Farahani (left) as Nik Khan and Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake in a still from “Extraction 2”. Photo: Jasin Boland/Netflix

After being left for dead at the end of the first film, Rake is resuscitated, rehabilitated and relocated to Austria, where he hopes to retire in peace and quietly mourn the death of his son.

But as soon as the bandages come off, Rake is asked to rescue the wife and children of a Georgian crime boss from a high-security prison.

Rake wants to ignore it, but the woman in question is the sister of his estranged wife (Olga Kurylenko). Given little choice, Rake’s team heads back into the field, and soon comes face to face with Tornike Gogrichian’s vengeful villain.

Chris Hemsworth (left) as Tyler Rake in a still from “Extraction 2”. Photo: Jasin Boland/Netflix
Hemsworth delivers a performance of impressive stamina and physicality, while the returning Golshifteh Farahani manages to keep the pace as his teammate in a much-expanded role.

The show-stopper here, however, is a staggering 21-minute unbroken action sequence, which begins with a prison break and culminates in a high-speed train crash – navigating a prison riot, car chase, and helicopter gunships along the way.

Beyond the endless barrage of shoot-outs, fistfights and bloody carnage, there’s precious little meat or emotional muscle on display. Next to John Wick, Extraction 2 stakes its claim to being the next no-nonsense heavyweight action franchise.

Extraction 2 will start streaming on Netflix on June 16.

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