Sam Hargrave
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Connections, in both directions
One might even compare it to Tony Scott’s brilliant Man On Fire, another film that saw a broken man succumb to violence in order to protect a young child.
Hargrave also manages some moments of, if not actual emotional poignancy, certainly the aesthetic kind, bringing to mind the hazy poetry of the late, great Tony Scott’s similarly themed Man on Fire , in which Denzel Washington rained havoc down on Mexico City on a determined course to protect Dakota Fanning.
But there's also a lot of his backstory and motive that reminds me of Denzel Washington's John Creasy in the late Scott's "Man on Fire."
Starting on a bridge that could pass for a “Call of Duty” map, with abandoned cars meticulously scattered across, all similarities to Tony Scott’s “Man on Fire,” another save-the-kidnapped-kid-in-foreign-territory adventure, are thrown out the window.
Denzel Washington’s John Creasy in the very good Man on Fire is a first-class grumparoo, and Keanu Reeves’ John Wick would be a gigantic bummer to be stuck with at a party.
On its own merits, Chris Hemsworth's "Extraction" is an above-average action flick with kickass stunts, but a story that feels cliche in the wake of "Man on Fire" (2004) and "Taken" (2008).
None have perhaps matched the franchise success of Chad Stahelski and David Leitch with their John Wick series (the latter migrating into more lavish climes, from the formidable Atomic Blonde to braindead studio dreck like Hobbs & Shaw ).
Extraction traffics in nearly every known action trope, from the old and regrettable (Rake is the white savior in a sweaty foreign land, à la Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ) to the new and bracing (he kills, according to one invaluable tally, 183 men in one bravura, John Wick -style scene).
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: The good Bourne s, John Wick , the last four Mission: Impossible s.
Following in the recent footsteps of former stunt coordinators like “John Wick” co-director Chad Stahelski, Hargrave steps behind the camera for a brutal and relentless action extravaganza that relishes its violence the way a David Mamet film might savor its dialogue.
Stunt coordinators becoming directors is nothing new in the action genre – a notable example is Chad Stahelski directing the John Wick franchise.
Like John Wick ’s Chad Stahelski and David Leitch before him, he’s a stunt coordinator-turned-director, having served as Chris Evans’s stunt double for several of his appearances as Captain America.
Chris Hemsworth goes full Mel Gibson mode à la Martin Riggs — particularly the first Lethal Weapon movie — in Netflix’s Extraction.
This might feel like a modern-day Hollywood hybrid of Man on Fire , Lethal Weapon , DOA , Terminator 2 and City of God , but it also pays more than just lip-service to its international cast.
Beyond that, "Extraction" is a pretty numbing affair, reminiscent of early Arnold Schwarzenegger movies ("Commando" comes to mind), with a pinch of "Man on Fire."
At times, his Extraction showstopper recalls the less elaborate (and less artificial) long takes in Alfonso Cuaron’s Children of Men , another movie about an ethically compromised man trying to ferry a valuable person through dangerous territory.
Taking a page from Alfonso Cuarón's dystopian thriller Children of Men and recent fight movies like 2017's Atomic Blonde , Hargrave shoots a long section of the film in "one take," attempting to wow viewers with an ingrained contempt for cutting and other basic aspects of film grammar.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: The good Bourne s, John Wick , the last four Mission: Impossible s.
Extraction ‘s settings are as exotic and far-flung for an American action movie as what you might see in Mission Impossible or the Bourne series, only with fewer frenetic jumps and more time to enjoy them.
I love a great action flick, and Extraction certainly reaches the high bar I’ve come to expect from the genre in the wake of John Wick and the recent batch of Mission: Impossible flicks.
It all builds to a sacrificial finale that rips off “Man on Fire” with its bridge heroics and “The Bourne Identity” with an underwater plunge, only without the Moby soundtrack.
Tony Scott’s Man on Fire and James Mangold’s Logan both explore these same themes to greater effect.
“Extraction” is a “Proof of Life” thriller about a soldier-turned-mercenary/”rescue-for-hire” Aussie named Tyler Rake.
The Russo’ deep dive into old-fashioned action spectaculars is not unlike Pierce Brosnan’s career, where he left the James Bond franchise and spent years playing evil spies and realistic intelligence operatives in the likes of The Tailor of Panama and The November Man.
The gritty locations and desperate conditions recall the plight of the kids in “Slumdog Millionaire” (2008), exploited by a sinister villain tossing kids off a roof.
Directed by former stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave, who makes his debut behind the camera here, Extraction operates as an old school testosterone-fueled action fest reminiscent of those Chuck Norris/Steven Segal/Arnold Schwarzenegger pics from decades past — think Missing in Action meets Hard to Kill meets Commando, except with the technical prowess of a John Wick film and the brains of Con Air.
It’s worth noting that Kathryn Bigelow was among the early pioneers of this action-scene-as-oner craze a quarter-century ago with “Strange Days,” even if it’s since become the obsession of a certain kind of male director, looking either for Oscars (like Cuarón, Iñárritu and Mendes) or the admiration of cinephiles and fellow film professionals (as in “Atomic Blonde” and “John Wick 3”).
In short, it’s a low-stakes pal-around genre movie not unlike last year’s 21 Bridges , also produced by the Russos but starring fellow MCU staple Chadwick Boseman.
As for the Russos, they seem to have taken a step back from huge spectacles, producing this after "21 Bridges," a formula thriller designed for another Marvel star, Chadwick Boseman.
Their last venture 21 Bridges showcased Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman as a NYPD detective looking for answers surrounding a spree of cop killings.
Chadwick Boseman led last year’s 21 Bridges, Tom Holland plays an uncharacteristically dark role in the upcoming Cherry and Chris Hemsworth is the star of the energetic, gripping new Netflix actioner Extraction.
Some have no business near a trigger, clicking with misfires, while others deliver fatal shots like “City of God” (2002).
This might feel like a modern-day Hollywood hybrid of Man on Fire , Lethal Weapon , DOA , Terminator 2 and City of God , but it also pays more than just lip-service to its international cast.
Directed by former stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave, who makes his debut behind the camera here, Extraction operates as an old school testosterone-fueled action fest reminiscent of those Chuck Norris/Steven Segal/Arnold Schwarzenegger pics from decades past — think Missing in Action meets Hard to Kill meets Commando, except with the technical prowess of a John Wick film and the brains of Con Air.
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Directed by Steven Spielberg
influenced Extraction (2020)
Visuals
Extraction traffics in nearly every known action trope, from the old and regrettable (Rake is the white savior in a sweaty foreign land, à la Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom ) to the new and bracing (he kills, according to one invaluable tally, 183 men in one bravura, John Wick -style scene).
A drama about a gay man (Kai Luke Brummer) enduring service in the South African army in 1981, the latest work from Oliver Hermanus (who made 2011’s Beauty) is an intense picture of a soul under pressure.
Similar to a number of actions films (the 2006 Bruce Willis/Mos Def movie 16 Blocks comes to mind, the former who also was apparently attached to the project at one point), Extraction isn’t destined to be well-remembered, but it suggests a return to sobering simplicities to a formula which excels with less mindless action and more human empathy (although the film doesn’t quite earn the Shane ambiguity it seems to be reaching for).
Hargrave owes a little to "Wick" director Chad Stahelski, who doubled for Reeves in "The Matrix" and stunted for many years before getting the huge opportunity to climb behind the camera for an action trilogy that will define the genre for the next 20-30 years.