Extraction 2: Tyler Rake’s Relentless Return
Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) miraculously survives the carnage in Bangladesh. In a remote house in Austria, the mercenary licks his wounds and gradually gets back on his feet. But soon, Rake faces a new mission: this time, he is tasked with rescuing a woman (Tinatin Dalakishvili) and two children from imprisonment, held captive by her malicious husband. Rake heads to a Georgian prison, drawing the wrath of ruthless and vengeful mafiosi upon himself and the fleeing family. The situation is further complicated by the fact that one of the children, Sandro (Andro Japaridze), is torn between trusting the American mercenary who killed his father and continuing the family’s bloody legacy by joining a group of Georgian terrorists.
Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake in a still from “Extraction 2”
For the second time, Chris Hemsworth is handed assault rifles and pistols instead of Mjolnir – it seems he is destined to be not a thunder god, but a new Tom Cruise. Daring missions in various countries, explosive action, and long takes as the highlights – the event is meticulously overseen by Sam Hargrave, whose “Extraction” proposed two theses. Firstly, the spy action genre is not limited to “Mission: Impossible” – the acrobatics here are just as breathtaking. Secondly, we were too quick to write off action films from Netflix (after the failure of the Russo brothers’ “The Gray Man,” they were viewed with more suspicion) – many seriously wondered if streaming services had anything to offer besides sterile visuals, and if real thrills could only be found in cinemas.
Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake in a still from “Extraction 2”
Action-Packed Thrills at Home
“Extraction 2,” on the other hand, proves that a good action film can be enjoyed at home. The furious action once again pushes the boundaries – especially in the twenty-minute one-shot sequence where Hemsworth evacuates the family, escaping from a Georgian prison. In order, we have: running through corridors, a massacre with prisoners, a car chase, and a whole show with a shootout on a train – by today’s standards, it may sound generic, but in some ways, the cascade of scenes outshines even the achievements of one-shot veteran Emmanuel Lubezki. In addition, “Extraction 2” uses Occam’s razor to cut away all unnecessary layers of lyricism and drama – Hargrave no longer playfully picks at the hero’s traumas and draws psychological portraits, but instead does what he does best: starts the engine of action.
Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake in a still from “Extraction 2”
A Nod to Classic Action
It’s no secret that we have to politely turn a blind eye to the dramaturgy: a barely recovered fighter (everyone remembers the intensity of the events in Bangladesh) somehow rushes to save his ex-wife’s sister, the Georgian antagonists are written with the same caricatured zeal as “bad Russians” in action films. The notorious question of fathers and children was not resolved by the first film – in the core of the sequel’s plot is also a young man, but only a victim not of drug mafia, but rather of his own rash and bad decisions. But Hargrave did not miscalculate: it is better to fight again, throw opponents around roofs, corridors, and churches, than to fill the runtime with dramatic interludes. It is no coincidence that the story in the sequel turned out to be flatter, with a nod to the good old video salon “B-movies” and post-Soviet criminal romance: for a superhero fighter, there are no invincible enemies, and the villains themselves come from the criminal districts of the collapsed republic, where the street becomes a school of life.
The Verdict
Overall, “Extraction” copes with its combat mission: it arranges fireworks with all types of transport, firmly maintains the rhythm, and shows the statuesque beauty of Hemsworth – this is who really deserves to be the first action star of the new generation. The dashing non-stop carnage rushes from prison to skyscraper, exhausting (in a good sense) with quantitative indicators, and quantity in an action film invariably turns into quality. While Tom Cruise is carrying out another mission and racking up kilometers on land, in the air, and on water, Ethan Hunt has unexpectedly grown either a respected colleague or a worthy competitor in the familiar business.