Extraction: The Chris Hemsworth Show – Movie Review

So, this is what Hemsworth does when he isn’t Thor, huh?

I am a huge fan of unapologetically violent movies. I like the hard-hitting, adrenaline-pumping scenes, that at the end of the sequence, you realize you weren’t breathing. The more realistic it looks, the better. This movie was ALL THAT, and more. The Raid 2 is one of my all-time best movies. It is not for the squeamish at all. Every single action scene in that movie is intense. Asians don’t mess around when it comes to this genre.

This movie, Extraction, is all this, and a little more on top. There is intensity, aggression, amazingly choreographed sequences, and Hemsworth like you have NEVER seen him before. Let’s talk about him in this movie for a bit.

He is one of those ex-Special Service types who after retirement or discharge go into private practice either for money or in pursuit of a passion. This one was a straight cash-grab. I think his casting in this movie was perfect in making him a well-rounded actor, someone who can almost do everything right. Except for a fat Thor. I don’t think he smiled more than once in its entire movie. He was focused on the mission at hand, ensuring that he got it accomplished at all costs. He was so good in this movie. He even trained for and did most of his stunts in this movie. He is such a good and well-rounded actor. This movie was built around him, and he carried it beautifully.

This movie was set in rural India, and I loved it. My biggest issue with movies shot outside the US is that a lot of them have this Indie vibe about them that could be hit or miss, but I love how this movie embraced its environment and the elements of it, and it worked perfectly. As it is with action-heavy movies, it felt like the storyline of this was a secondary consideration, but there is nothing wrong with that. Absolutely not. I mentioned earlier that the action in this movie was quite intense, up to a level that you began to feel that there was a level of disregard for human life in this movie. Not to spoil this movie too much but there was a scene in this movie where a child was thrown off the roof of a tall building to his death. It was so disturbing, but it fits with the general theme of the movie. A lot of comparisons have been made to the John Wick movies, which I absolutely adore, but those movies are slightly tame compared to this one. Close hand combat will always beat a gun shootout in terms of raw intensity and believability. Bones were crushed, necks were broken, gallons of blood were spilled. And I loved it so much!

Hemsworth develops chemistry with the kid he is sent to rescue that even has a very touching moment thrown in between them. You had to sympathize with the kid at some point because everything seemed to happen so fast, there was confusion about whom to trust, and being thrust into a situation that nothing in his previous life could have possibly prepared him for, but he was, for the most part, able to rise to the occasion. The rest of the supporting cast is exactly that: a supporting cast and they supported well. There was Hemsworth, and then there was everyone else.

One reason why this movie was so action-packed is that it was produced by a former stunt man, Sam Hargrave, and it showed. There was a particularly thrilling chase sequence that seemed to be one single shot that went on for more than 5 minutes, that was probably the greatest piece of action cinematography that I have ever seen. On further review, it was shown that it was indeed several clips brilliantly stitched together, but watching it, you would probably never figure that out. It was that convincing.

On the last note, the green light for Extraction 2 has been given, and I am so excited about that. It is set to be shot in a different international location, and for those who have seen this first movie, it provides some clarity to the ending of the movie.

Extraction is available on Netflix and is definitely worth watching. I am going to watch it again a couple of times again, till I master all the fight sequences in the movie. That, or the dialogue in the movie, much easier since there wasn’t a lot of talking anyway. Just fighting. Good movie, good Hemsworth.

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