Extraction 2

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. (06/17/2023)

With the first movie, I loved the action but felt like the story left my mind completely blank afterward. The sequel promised stunning Czech landscapes and Netflix’s generous investment. Once again, the action is incredible. The car cockpit shots showing action-packed surroundings are mind-blowing, and Chris Hemsworth’s fight scenes, shot in a single take, feel like they’re pumped with double doses of adrenaline. However, the story is still a black hole. The characters are flat and emotionless, so don’t expect any miracles or deep feelings. It’s time to admit that despite Chris in the lead role, Extraction is pure B-movie fare, albeit with fantastic technical execution. It took me a while to come to terms with that. (06/22/2023)

Amazing “single-take” scenes, solid stunt choreography (pity about the blatant CGI in the explosions, crashes, etc., though), without any bollocks, dialogue outbursts or wisecracks during the action; it just rolls along at an exciting pace. And with sheer action filling well over half the running time, there is undeniably much to be genuinely excited about. But... It trips over its own feet with the opening and the ending. The first action set-piece happens in the 20th minute, and all that mandatory “let’s pretend we have a story and characters” filler would be sorted out in five minutes in a timeless action flick. Also, the climax has the problem that the final showdown (itself solid) is significantly overshadowed by all the previous action passages. (06/17/2023)

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. (06/26/2023)

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. (06/16/2023)