EXTRACTION 2. Dancing with Helicopters [REVIEW]
Extraction was one of Netflix’s first pandemic blockbuster movies. Placed in the library at the end of April 2020, the explosive action movie directed by Sam Hargrave immediately appealed to fans of action heroes from the 80s and 90s. Tyler Rake turned out to be such an interesting character that the Russo brothers, co-writers and producers film, they quickly began work on a sequel. So, three years after the premiere of the first part, we get Tyler Rake 2, a continuation that keeps pace with the original.
Hargrave himself probably envied Chad Stahelski, the creator of the John Wick movies, and also wanted to go from stunt to director. And it must be admitted that so far he is doing as well as Stahelski – anyway, there are quite a lot of similarities between their films. Both John Wick and Tyler Rake are mercenaries, both seem invincible, and their adventures are directed in an extremely spectacular way, evoking associations not only with the classics of action cinema and martial arts, but also with video games. Especially Extraction 2 in some sequences looks like a talented game designer, not a film director – and this is by no means a complaint. It’s about, for example, the specific work of the camera, often glued to the characters or “flowing” behind them, or creating the impression of building long sequences in one shot. It makes an impression and gives the whole thing an extremely dynamic character.
We return to the story of Tyler Rake (played again by Chris Hemsworth) at the moment when we said goodbye to the hero in the first part – as a result of what seems to be a fatal shot, Rake falls into the river, where he would probably die. However, he is rescued by his partner and supervisor Nik Khan (Golshifteh Farahani), but as a result of his wounds he has to undergo several months of convalescence. When it seems that he will spend his mercenary retirement in the Austrian outback, he is haunted by a mysterious man (Idris Elba) who offers him a rather “personal” assignment. Here, of course, there is a classic action movie sequence: the hero initially rejects the offer, then learns some additional circumstances and accepts the assignment, after which he starts tedious preparations and training. However, the action quickly moves to a certain Georgian prison, where in an incredibly daring sequence, Rake faces off against hordes of bandits, at the same time leading to the release of an innocent woman and her two children.
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Of course, this is only the beginning of Tyler and his team’s troubles, but – as you could have guessed before the screening – there are no such problems from which Rake would not come out victorious. Hargrave himself does what it takes to keep viewers entertained – he can shoot a spectacular chase scene, an even more improbable train sequence (it’s probably some fetish of the Russo brothers, who also put one in the Citadel), and the choreography of fight scenes is in no way inferior to the films of his colleague Stahelski. Tyler Rake is a true superhero – he bludgeons enemies even when he is in flames, he survives a derailed train, and he already has a PhD in shooting down helicopters. Chris Hemsworth is slowly entering the pantheon of action movie stars, sitting on the throne right next to the absolute legends of the genre, such as Arnold Schwarzenegger or Sylvester Stallone. However, he has something more than the heroes of old action movies – the appearance of a demigod.
Extraction 2 is, of course, not a film that will revolutionize the genre, but at the level of implementation it is in no way inferior to the biggest cinema blockbusters. Sam Hargrave’s film is a proposition for those who – choosing a proposal for the evening screening – are not looking for credibility and authenticity, but a powerful dose of action, the rhythm of which is set by series of rifles and explosions of grenades. For these viewers, Tyler Rake 2 will be a real treat, prepared by chefs who know their stuff.
Dawid Myśliwiec