A One Mann’s Movies review of “Extraction 2” (2023).
I only just watched the first “Extraction” on Netflix, so watching “Extraction 2” has given me a chance to properly compare the two.
Bob the Movie Man Rating:
Plot Summary:
After his near-death experience in Dhaka, Tyler Rake has a slow and painful path to recovery. But once there, and in ‘retirement’, he is tempted to take another job by Alcott (Idris Elba), since the sister of his ex-wife is in need of extraction from a brutal prison in Georgia.
Certification:
UK: 15; US: R. (From the BBFC web site: “Injury detail, language, threat, violence”.)
Talent:
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani, Adam Bessa, Idris Elba, Tornike Gogrichiani, Tornike Bziava, Tinatin Dalakishvili, Olga Kurylenko.
Directed by: Sam Hargrave.
Written by: Joe Russo (Based on a story by Ande Parks, Joe Russo & Anthony Russo).
Twitter Handle: #Extraction2.
Rake (Chris Hemsworth) deep in a hive of scum and villany in Georgia. Rescuing Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili). (Source: Netflix).
“Extraction 2” Review:
Positives:
- Most of the same positives I commented on for “Extraction” I can make for this sequel
- The cinematography (this time Greg Baldi) and editing (this time, William Hoy and Alex Rodriguez) are again very good. There is an impressive ‘single shot’ prison break scene.
- Hemsworth again makes for an energetic action hero. And this time Golshifteh Farahani as his right-hand-girl, Nik Khan, is given more to do. There are nice turns too from Idris Elba and the always impressive Olga Kurylenlo.
- There’s a particularly impressive action sequence within a “Nakatomi Plaza”-style high rise building
Negatives:
- The action here is bigger and more extravagant than in the first film: car and rooftop chases are replaced by armoured trains and helicopters. And for me, that made this film less intimate and therefore less enjoyable.
- And while the cinematography and editing is good, I wasn’t left with the same “OMG, I need to wind that back” urge as I had in the first film to work out how they did it.
- I praised above the ‘Nakatomi Plaza’ action sequence: but the film should have ended with this. The actual finale, by comparison, I found a bit of a damp squib.
Summary Thoughts on “Extraction 2”
It’s a solid action thriller. For me though, I slightly preferred the first film to this one.
By the way, the end of the film firmly sets us up for “Extraction 3”, featuring Hemsworth and Elba.
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Trailer for “Extraction 2”
The trailer is here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_g5IUrNCHck
