Extraction 2

I liked the first film more because of the more exotic setting, they way it builds-up, and the ending, which was so enjoyable, and which the sequel resets, unfortunately. Regardless, Extraction 2 is a more than fine and, despite the various digital crutches, proper action flick that does without hyperbole and still manages to entertain. I’m looking forward to the third one. (26/06/2023)

For how much of a crap the first movie was (despite my painful efforts, I couldn't manage to finish watching it, I admit), the sequel was actually a very pleasant surprise! Chris rediscovered at least a tiny bit of his acting talent, the story was, well, okay, and the locations were perfect (an old Georgian prison will always work). The action was comparable, if not better, than in the latest John Wick movie (yeah, I know, I'm going to hell for saying that). Surely, there are moments when the main character survives the unsurvivable, like repeatedly taking cover behind a ladder during a shootout with a helicopter (yes, a HELICOPTER, and yes, behind a ladder), which will probably become a slightly cultish cliché forever. However, prioritizing action over all those empathetic BS, as it's become a good habit these days, proved to be the right choice for an action film, resulting in an incredibly enjoyable spectacle. (09/07/2023)

This year's biggest hit and Netflix's dark horse has seen the light of day, and for action fans (read proper blokes) this is the second action fest of the year to be celebrated with champagne and a 5 star award. For viewers with low-testosterone levels and lovers of drama, this is a filler before the 60th repeat of Whale and Father. Chris Hemsworth, aka Tyler Rake (definitely a character who belongs in the limelight of modern action cinema with Wick and Nobody), after a tough recovery from Bangladesh, has to take another challenging mission where he has to shoot and beat the crap out of a bunch of scumbags, and I enjoyed it immensely once again. Hemsworth is in top form, he's matured a lot as an actor and he makes the emotions work, so he easily pulls the whole film off reliably and believably. One thing I appreciate about the Extraction movies is that they choose interesting and offbeat locations. Here we get a look at Georgia and the Georgian Mafia, which I found welcome and engaging. The villain, who is the right kind of sneaky scumbag, is a good fit. Best of all, of course, is the action itself, which is what we're all here for, except for a few strays who are once again accidentally watching a different genre than they deserve. The highlight is the very first action set-piece from the prison shot in one take, which not only has a thick atmosphere, insane tension, but also great choreography – I screamed and cried with excitement. The second action scene, the skyscraper ambush, is also excellent. The Georgians have awesome gear. It's a nicely organized and team action inferno where the atmospheric desperation works and Hemsworth makes great use of the setting (the gym was top notch). The finale is already more intimate compared to the rest (not too many enemies left), and it's mostly about seeing the two central rivals give each other a good thrashing – I appreciated the nice use of tools. It's raw, it's uncompromising, it's brutal, it's ball-busting. So my horniness for the film was duly and sufficiently satisfied. If I had anything to criticise, it was the annoying boy character, he bothered me a bit, and the visual effects and explosions had weaker CGI, but not too bad, and the story is perfectly adequate to the needs of the action genre. (16/06/2023)

In a short span he suffers a gash in the arm, a screwdriver stuck in the side, here and there some shrapnel under the skin or a knife stab, multiple falls from various heights, fatalities by heavy blows to the arms and legs, and he just shakes it off and moves on. Silly me, I’ve always though the human body is made of bones, flesh and tissues, like they taught us in biology, my mistake, probably. Even Rambo suffered and blew on his wounds back in the day. Nowadays it’s different, heroes have adamantium bones like Wolverine. And here I was thinking that nothing could top stopping bullets with a jacket like in Wick, but now there's some serious competition. All right. Otherwise, nothing against Hemsworth, he's a charismatic guy and he's found himself in what he does; I wish him well, but modern action flicks are just not for me anymore. (17/06/2023)

If Chris Hemsworth is the successor to 1990s Sly and Arnold, I say yes, thumbs up, because that is exactly how straightforward Extraction 2 is. And that's why it is subjectively a notch higher than the overly mythological and monumental John Wick: Chapter 4. Hemsworth gets his hands dirty, bleeds, burns, shoots down helicopters, kills with a screwdriver, and at least half of it is in one take with no cuts. Anyone whining about the bad visual effects should realize that this is not an A-list blockbuster going into theaters and costing 150-200 million, but it’s made for TV and costing barely a third of that. 9 times out of 10 there are more breathtaking scenes than most genre films will allow you to dream of, in fact I haven't seen anything this intense in a very long time – this is how The Grey Man should have looked like! An exemplary tribute to the craft of action, a masterful work of cinematography, editing and fight choreography. Come on, let’s have a threequel because Hemsworth is king. (16/06/2023)