Three years after Extraction found success on Netflix, the sequel is bringing audiences yet another Chris Hemsworth slugfest. Blunter -- and better -- than the previous film, Extraction 2 is the very definition of an action film. A basic story that works best when it embraces the full potential of its cast and filmmakers, Extraction 2 is like watching a live-action first-person shooter, for good and for ill.
After barely surviving the events of the last film, Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) finds his retirement and recuperation upended by an unexpected mission. The sister of his ex-wife Mia (Olga Kyrylonko) has spent the last few years in prison, trapped under the control of her vicious husband, Davit (Torniko Bziava). When the opportunity presents itself to liberate Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili) and her children Sandro (Andro Japaridzo) and Nina (Mariami Kovziashvili), Rake is brought into action alongside his allies, the sibling duo of Nik (Golshifteh Farahani) and Yaz (Adam Bessa). Although the mission itself proves doable -- if extremely doable -- the aftermath leaves them all in the crosshairs of Davit's ruthless crime lord brother Zurab (Torniko Gogrichiani).
Extraction 2 is largely unconcerned with its plot, focusing more on the direct action and conflict brought on by Rake's action-heavy missions. It's a very blunt film, even more so than its predecessor -- if anything, it's fully embraced the over-the-top action spectacle. In execution, it effectively becomes a live-action version of Call of Duty, with plenty of explosive blasts, environment kills, and over-the-top combat. Any semblance of reality is ignored, with every character taking multiple gunshots to even slow down.
At times, this works in Extraction 2's favor. Hemsworth remains a fantastic action hero, able to imbue the biggest bits of bombast with smaller emotional beats. Farahani likewise is clearly having fun as his operator in the field, getting to play a more straightforward and confident agent as opposed to Hemsworth's more emotionally tender Rake. This doesn't stop him from essentially being a handsome Michael Meyers, an unstoppable killing machine that drives most of the action through sheer resilience. Returning to helm the second film, Director Sam Hargrave has a blast staging some very fun long-shots during the initial titular extraction.
An extended series of long-takes follow Rake and his allies as they try to make their way through several different types of fight set-pieces, becoming more brutal and ridiculous as time wears on -- to the point where a literally on fire Rake turns his own burning fist into an advantage. It's largely weightless, even when the film does try to raise the stakes through mortal means, but it's not necessarily a bad thing when it's this staged and shot this well. Cinematographer Greg Baldi keeps the motion going and finds plenty of tenors in the sequence, with just the right amount of controlled movement and light shaky-cam to keep things moving without getting lost in the scene.
Extraction 2 isn't the place to look for deep character exploration or complex storytelling -- although the cast largely does well with the fairly basic character arcs they're afforded. Instead, the story is extremely basic, and allows the film to play to its strengths. There are crumbs of more complex emotional throughlines, like Rake's past coming back to haunt him, Sandro's conflicted feelings about his father, or the film's repeated theme of grief giving way to pointless rage, but they don't get much time or development. This is a film far more content to let Hemsworth dispatch people with workout equipment than dealing with the human condition, but it does give the cast something to latch onto emotionally.
In some ways, this simplification of the story and direct personal stakes benefit the story. It's less aggressively problematic than its predecessor, albeit still with some aspects that feel a tad queasy, and it goes as big as it can. Even the film's obligatory attempt to make a franchise out of this series feels ill-defined and open-ended, but pulled off with enough charm by a surprise character that it's still fun to watch. The definition of a basic action film elevated by the talent in front of and behind the camera, Extraction 2 isn't going to change the world or convert anyone apathetic towards the genre, but in the right headspace, this weightless but entertaining action-thriller has more than enough big set-pieces to justify a watch -- and has enough fun with it to seemingly even be getting another follow-up.