First Take: Extraction- the Russos are on the move again

SYNOPSIS: Tyler Rake, a fearless black market mercenary, embarks on the most deadly extraction of his career when he’s enlisted to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned international crime lord.

Netflix have been pushing this film hard since it was released on Friday. It’s hard not to argue with their reasoning- it’s a year on from Endgame, this is a film produced by the Russo Brothers and their new AGBO production company, plus it features Chris Hemsworth, someone who is arguably one of the most likeable dudes in the industry. So why is this film so disappointing?

It’s directed by Sam Hargrave, and sure, this is a 2 hour film (1 hour 47 if you take into account the credit roll), but the pacing is all over the shop for an action film. Joe Russo is on script duty, adapting a graphic novel that him and brother Anthony created called Ciudad- yes, it is well written, but there is the usual archetypes of an action film, and at times, it felt like I was watching 2017 film American Assassin, a similar movie in terms of the sheer level ofviolence and general quality- to utter those words feel like an insult to the Russos and Hemsworth- they are capable of creating a better movie than this. It is shot well by Newton Thomas Sigel, and frequent AGBO collaborators Henry Jackman and Alex Belcher does the job, but still, this was not a good movie to watch… with the exception of one thing.

Chris Hemsworth single handedly saves this film. Seriously. After years of seeing him as Thor, and a small selection of other roles, it must feel good for him to cut loose and do movies that he really wants to make with his friends- and it shows in his performance. With David Harbour by his side, alongside Indian talent which includes Rudhraksh Jaiswal, Golshifteh Farahani and many others, the cast do their best with what they’ve been given. Obviously this is a Netflix-bought production at the end of the day, so there is room for more risk in terms of what can be shown, but ultimately for an 18 certificate action film I have seen much, much better.

THE VERDICT

Extraction is a film that was genuinely made for Netflix. Pandemic or not, I don’t think this movie would’ve played well in cinemas at all, even with the star power of Hemsworth attached to the production, and considering the high bar of action films nowadays, just the sheer amount of violence, which rightfully earns the 18 certificate, just doesn’t sit right at all.

RATING: 2.5/5