Hold on tight. Extraction2 is a no-nonsense, wild ride. Directed by former stuntman Sam Hargrave, the movie is an endless action sequence filled with beautiful cinematography, nail-biting stunts, and great acting by Chris Hemsworth and his co-stars. 

Extraction 2 is the sequel to 2020’s Extraction. The franchise follows Australian mercenary Tyler Rake as he takes on dangerous missions full of ruthless enemies with a lot of firepower. 

Extraction 2 picks up where the first movie left off. After being shot, stabbed, and thrown off a bridge, we see Tyler Rake recuperating in a quiet Austrian cabin. Thankfully for action fans, his retreat doesn’t last for long. A character named Alcott, played by the great Idris Elba, approaches him with a mission to save Rake’s former sister-in-law and her children from her warlord husband in Georgia. With his team, led by his partner Nik Khan, played by Golshifteh Farahani, Rake embarks on a mission filled with heart-pounding action. 

Within a few minutes into the film, Rake’s character gets tangled up in a wave of violence and destruction that continues throughout the movie. The action scenes are fun, energetic, and full of cinematic beauty. Extraction 2 takes the realistic action and stoicism of the first film and ramps it up to new levels. 

For many fans, the highlight of the movie is the 21 minute prison break sequence. To pull this scene off, the film crew had to stitch together intense sequences that made it look like one intense scene. With detailed fight sequences, dozens of stunt performers, and endless movement to capture, it will surely become one of the most iconic moments in a modern action movie. 

To the joy of movie-goers tired of superhero franchises and green screen action, Extraction 2 rarely uses CGI. In another fan-favourite scene, Rake is shooting at a real helicopter as it flies over an actual train. After he falls into the train cabin after being shot at, the helicopter gently lands on the moving train. As the stuntmen jumped onto the roof of the train, director Sam Hargarve took the camera and ran under the helicopter himself to film the scene. Hemsworth told Netflix, “Oh, this is really fun, but this could go drastically wrong any second now.”

Through all this action, Hemsworth is able to channel an emotional performance. When it’s revealed how he became the man he is today, his audience becomes more connected to his character and his struggle for revenge. Fans will also enjoy the flawless performance from Golshifteh Farahani. In an interview with Elle, Farahani said, “Extraction 2 will leave you emotionally involved and curious about the characters of the movie.” 

The film dives into the emotional journey of Rake. Personal demons plague the battle-weary mercenary. Afterall, how else could someone become such a ruthless killer? This journey will let the audience connect with him on a deeper level, adding layers of plot to the film. What’s more is that it breaks up the realistic action scenes, which, even for lovers of action movies, can be intense.  

For fans of guns, car chases, explosions, and fist fights, Extraction 2 more than delivers. What most people will inevitably take out of the experience will be Hemsworth’s performance. As action stars go, he fits the bill as a compelling star worthy of a high-budget action franchise. Hopefully, fans won’t have to wait too long before more Extraction films are released. The one down-side to the movie is commonly felt by fans: it didn’t come out in theatres.