Extraction is one of those action movies whose plot can be neatly summed up in one sentence. A mercenary with a death wish is sent to rescue an Indian drug lord’s son in Dhaka, where he is held captive by a rival drug lord. It’s one of those plots you feel you have watched a million times. The difference this time is that Sam Hargreaves, the second unit director for Avengers: Endgame (and stunt coordinator for several Marvel and Pirates of the Caribbean films) is handling directing duties for this action thriller and the story is set inside (though not shot inside) Dhaka.
If you are expecting the film’s depiction of Dhaka to be accurate, then you are probably going to be disappointed. The movie takes a fair stab at capturing the general atmosphere of Dhaka, from the crowded din of the streets (often punctuated by incessant horns) to the dust sweeping around the streets. However, the streets shown bear only a passing resemblance to Dhaka, and the way the movie is shot, it makes you feel as though the entirety of Dhaka is as grim and grimy as Puran Dhaka. Speaking of which, there are barely any rickshaws in the streets, which are instead populated by Mercedes and Ford cars.
The main things going for this film are the well-shot action scenes and a committed performance by Chris Hemsworth.
There’s a kinetic elegance to the way Hemsworth weaves his way through thugs and corrupt police. Hargreaves, who also choreographed the fight scenes in Atomic Blonde, provides the best scene of the film in the form of a near twelve minute single-shot car chase that follows the action from inside the car.
Like most films in this genre, it gives very little character for its cast to work with. Both Hemsworth and Randeep Hooda are given family ties, with Hemsworth being more of a functional wreck of a person who’s barely holding himself together with alcohol and Oxycontin. His handler, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani) cares for Tyler (Hemsworth), but we don’t get a reason why, especially considering the way the film ends for their characters. David Harbour’s Gasper is the closest thing to a three dimensional character in the film, but he’s there only for a short while.
This film, like John Wick, does strain belief, as both Hemsworth and Hooda fight through multiple injuries, including bullet wounds, as they play a game of cat and mouse throughout the city. But Extraction does a good job in keeping the narrative moving along at a brisk pace. It feels like a well-oiled machine where the building blocks come together to create an efficient, if bare-bones, story. It’s the kind of film that may have gotten lost in the shuffle of theater releases, but stands out on Netflix.
The story, adapted from the Russo brothers’ original graphic novel Ciudad, could have been set in any developing country.
In fact, Ciudad was set in South America, which suggests that the location is more of a prop than a meaningful character in its own right.
Extraction does run the risk of becoming trite and tired, especially since it gives the charismatic Hemsworth little material to show off his personality. If its runtime had been any longer, it would have worn out its welcome. As it stands, it works well as a distraction, especially since there’s a lack of similar offerings in these unfortunate circumstances.