4/25/20 - Extraction (2020) - 5+/10

This non-super hero modern action thriller Hemsworth vehicle was much better than Blackhat (oof, I hated that one). Marking the directorial debut of stuntman/stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave, his expertise shows. Flowing from the heritage of modern action classics The Raid and John Wick, we get well defined, smartly captured and viscerally impactful action set-pieces. Sans quick cut editing and obtuse choreography, this is satisfying warfare with a truly massive body count (possibly 105+). This certainly fits the “video game like” film, easily being a Call of Duty game on screen, not necessarily to its or the audience’s detriment. It kicks ass, and if that is what you want, Extraction will pull your trigger.

I enjoyed the well done kills, the emphasized & executed skirmishes, and the lengths that were gone to to make it special. The 12 minute “oner”, whether fully in camera or not, was impressive and appreciated. Its the type of detail and immersion that you don’t tend to get from similar films.

While the film nails the action, it lacks pretty much everywhere else. The plot is pretty basic (despite having a thriller & double-cross kind of setup), the emotional resonance muted, and a side villain plot that felt pretty impotent. I wonder if it was more important and connected within the source material? Otherwise, we get the generic “wounded warrior, missing their child/spouse/friend, pushed to the edge and Punisher-ing their way towards some end” story. Serviceable, but one-note and anemic.

Never-the-less, it will keep the action-head locked in. Hearkening back to the brawny one-man calibered colossuses of the 80s with the modern nuances of the genre, it should please those who want a continually moving freight train of murder mayhem and gun-play gambols. It has a adamant ceiling, but it accomplishes its limited goals with aplomb.