Above all else, Extraction exemplifies how gunfire fights just aren't as interesting cinematically as other forms of fighting. Whenever Rake's confrontations with legions of henchman & police officers boil down to Rake just shooting people with a gun, it's just not very exciting and gets repetitive quite quickly. Anybody could be doing these maneuvers with a gun, there's nothing unique to it. On the other hand, the hand-to-hand combat stuff Rake dishes out is much more interesting to watch and is imbued with a more distinct personality. A scene where Rake fights a squad of malicious children is a great example of this. Rake's just tossing these rage-filled youngsters around in a manner that's meant to ensure they don't harm him while also clearing leaving no long-term injuries on the kids.
That underlying motivation lends the scene so much more fun and personality than any of the generic gunfights. More grisly but no less inventive is anytime Rake is forced to use just the objects around him to fight off adult henchman working for Amir Asif. It's so much fun to see Rake use just whatever's lying around to fight off antagonists. Best of all in terms of Extraction's action is an extended car chase & foot chase sequence that goes for eleven minutes long and is meant to look like it's all captured in the span of a single take. Though it overstays its welcome a bit in terms of length, it's still an impressively-executed sequence. Particularly noteworthy is how the camerawork remains consistently cogent even in the most chaotic parts of the sequence. Kudos to director Sam Hargrave for keeping the mayhem visible rather than resorting to shaky-cam as a cheap source of disorientation.
In fact, Extraction as a whole looks quite polished as a production. This is a welcome departure from many high-profile Netflix genre movies of the past. While the studios' dramas (The Irishman, Okja, Marriage Story, etc.) have had few issues with looking competent, many Netflix movies meant to serve as just entertainment (like Adam Sandler comedies, The Highwaymen or Bright) tended to look cheaply produced. Not so for Extraction, which presents itself in a 2.35: 1 aspect ratio to deliver wide shots that tend to utilize every inch of the frame. Extraction constantly frames its shots with purpose rather than adhering to limp lighting and visual style of so many past Netflix blockbusters.
Starring in this production is Chris Hemsworth, who takes on a far grimmer role than he usually has in his blockbuster endeavors. On paper, that doesn't sound great considering Hemsworth best excels as a wacky comedic performer in projects like Thor: Ragnarok and Ghostbusters. While there are times Hemsworth struggles to pull off this persona, primarily he does better than expected work commanding a believably detached aura. It helps that Hemsworth decides to lean into the idea of Tyler Rake being a haunted figure. He's not just jaded or crotchety, he's someone so disturbed by past trauma that he's practically sleepwalking through parts of his life that aren't dedicated to killing people.
Hemsworth's performance is a reasonably different creation compared to his past roles while the best action beats in Extraction excel due to more specifically-rendered details. The best parts of Extraction are also it's most unique. Unfortunately, screenwriter Joe Russo (delivering his first feature film writing credit since Welcome to Collinwood nearly twenty years ago) struggles to deliver truly distinct creations on a number of fronts. For one, the villains are a wash, which is the biggest disappointment for any action movie. It's commendable Russo didn't go the tired route of giving Amir Asif and Tyler Rake some old score to settle but the primary protagonist and antagonist of Extraction are still too detached from one another. This renders scenes centered just on Asif superfluous as a result and doesn't give Rake much to beyond just avoid bullets that are flying in his direction.
Worse is how Russo's script doesn't give Ovi much of a personality beyond him playing the piano when he's nervous. A mid-movie scene has Ovi note that both Rake and his father view him as just an object, It's a sad moment but unfortunately, Extraction doesn't seem to view Ovi as much more than that either considering they don't give him much of a personality to work with. It also must be said that Extraction's depiction of both Bangladesh and India is extremely tired and cliche-ridden right down to how both locations are awash in garish yellow grading. On the other hand, Russo's screenplay is at least a tightly-paced creation (yay for this thing running under two hours with credits!) and gives Paterson actor Golshifteh Farahani a chance to strut her action movie chops. Enough of Extraction worked for me to make it work as an action movie distraction. However, enough of Extraction also worked for me that I became frequently frustrated whenever it opted for less creative choices in its action scenes and storytelling.
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