Written by: Joe Russo
Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Golshifteh Farahani, Adam Bessa, Tornike Gogrichiani
Rating: [3.5/5]
Not every action film will contain the most compelling narrative when their primary goal sits at trying to captivate audiences through a healthy level of violence or stunts. Finding the right balance typically makes for the best of this genre, as getting too out of whack one way or the other means the heavy side of the scale needs to mightily succeed to make up for the deficiency. Extraction 2, like its predecessor, puts a major focus on the action, but it creates such incredible sequences that it makes up for its narrative deficiencies.
After narrowly escaping death and sitting in retirement, Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) gets called to a mission that involves saving his ex-wife’s sister, Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili), who’s being kept in a prison against her will with her children. Rake enlists his old friends to get this deed done deep in a Georgian prison.
It appears Sam Hargrave and his team heard the complaints of the first Extraction being all sizzle no steak and decided that they will just take that sizzle and make sure it explodes in all of our faces. They certainly succeeded at that in their attempt to make action sequences that will enthrall in ways I had no idea they would. The first film certainly had its awesome action moments, which includes the one tracking shot that serves as the highlight of the entire experience. They upped the ante in every way where we move within this incredibly dangerous prison where Rake not only needs to fend for himself but also the individuals he needs to get out of there.
What essentially leads him there is the husband of his ex-wife’s sister, who decides to keep his wife and kids close to him under the guise of protection but in all reality mostly because he wants to avoid the possibility of them fleeing. Well, leave it to Rake and his crew to take on the impossible mission of not only breaking into the prison without being noticed but then get three individuals out without in the very same way. Quite the task to take on, and the baked in tension makes every interaction Rake and his crew have all the more crucial to sustain any chance for survival.
Within the prison, things get exciting, which includes a yard scene that absolutely takes the cake of what action filmmaking can look like. As much as the John Wick films have set the standard, this film comes pretty close in matching that level of intensity and ingenuity in capturing the bone-crunching damage and bringing audience members on this ride with these characters. The first film certainly had the inkling of potential and Extraction 2 fully realizes it. The sequence where Rake utilizes a riot shield to fend off enemies and we follow him through a moment of absolute pandemonium knocked my socks off. Everything that happened during this sequence is worth the price of admission alone and it makes me glad that the team behind these movies cracked the code of what makes one of these successful.
Even with the strong emphasis on the action, this sequel also sheds even a slight light on more of Rake’s past to further flesh out his character, especially when he’s tasked in saving being his ex-wife’s sister. It inevitably means that the ex-wife will make an appearance, which further means we will get more into the flashbacks Rake had about a child he from the past. The film does not necessarily dive too deep into this, but it adds the necessary coloring to further explain the trauma and pain Rake walks around with on a daily basis.
Fulfilling its duty as a piece of action extravaganza, Chris Hemsworth, Sam Hargrave, and their team found the right formula with Extraction 2. They delivered several exhilarating action sequences that kept things fresh and captured in-camera that further leads to what makes the film so enjoyable to watch. It undoubtedly does not wear out its welcome, and the film even delves more into Rake as a person rather than him operating as this faceless mercenary. A complete and total upgrade on what we received before, which only makes me question how much further they will continue to up the ante.
Films with Josh 
