Blood, bullets & the brutalities of life after Thor.

Poor Chris Hemsworth, despite being an integral part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe for the best part of a decade, the lad has had a rotten run of it since becoming Thor. Unable to find any real foothold outside his Marvel safe zone, the likes of Blackhat, In the Heart of the Sea, and recently Men in Black: International have all failed to click with Hemsworth’s talents.

While his towering physique and classic good looks make him obvious action man material, the amiable charm and unexpected comedy chops that have become a key part of Hemsworth’s success as Thor Odinson have been repeatedly underserved outside the Marvel bubble. However, as his stint holding the hammer gradually nears its end, the time has come for the former Home and Away man to find his groove once again. But is Extraction really the movie to do it?

With nothing left to lose, fearless black-market mercenary Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is called in to rescue the kidnapped son of an imprisoned Indian crime lord. But, in the shadowy world of weapons dealers and drug barons, an already deadly mission nears the impossible when Tyler and the boy find themselves trapped in Dhaka, one of the world’s most impenetrable cities. With enemies closing in, the pair must put their issues to one side to survive a mission that will alter both their lives forever. 

Dropping on Netflix exactly a year since Endgame was unleashed upon an unexpecting world, Extraction sees the Russo brothers cash in on their incredible success with Marvel to indulge their love of the action genre, throwing their MCU running buddy Chris Hemsworth a bone in the process. With Joe Russo on writing duties and both brothers on board as producers, the multi-talented filmmakers have moulded a decidedly old school, no-frills action vehicle around Hemsworth, working well to his leading man strengths, yet unable to fully tap into his charm.

Running as something of a parallel to Hemsworth’s lack of joy away from Marvel, since the success of both Bourne and John Wick and the unprecedented triumphs of the comic book movie, the action genre has often struggled outside of its franchise safety net. More so, there have been many attempts to recapture the patented Bourne/Wick brand of kinetic, stylised action, however, the results have been mixed at best.

Aiming squarely for this brutal action niche, Extraction falls way short of the level it clearly aspires to, however, it does go some way towards evoking the energy that made both the Bourne and Wick franchises click. So, while the results may miss their mark, the spirit and application cannot be knocked.

Bold, bloody, and bombastic, Extraction’s action style is quite something to behold. Managing to be both highly stylised and unflinchingly down-and-dirty, the film is a mesmerising mix of brutal hand-to-hand combat and bulldozing ballistics that will leave you simultaneously transfixed and nauseated.

Despite his relative newbie status, first time director Sam Hargrave pulls it out of the bag with a remarkably assured showing on his debut, ploughing his wealth of knowledge as a seasoned stunt performer and coordinator into what is an astonishingly visceral visual experience. Combining creative, immersive camerawork – including a number of impressive one-take sequences – and brutal, pin-point fight choreography, Hargrave does a stand-up job of evoking Jason Bourne and John Wick in their prime, taking the audience on one hell of a bruising ride.

And yes – spoiler alert – at one point Tyler Rake does in fact kill a man with an actual rake. Put that one in your pipe, Wick.

Echoing the approach of Chad Stahelski and David Leitch (both with strong stunt backgrounds themselves) to John Wick, Hargrave makes damn sure you feel every stab, shot, smack, and bone crack in a bewildering cavalcade of combat that feels like a complete throwback while staying thoroughly contemporary. Mixing 90s action absurdity with a distinctive 21st century grit, Hargrave shows that he has an eye for engaging, entertaining action visuals and a potentially bright directorial future ahead of him.

Yet, while Extraction’s hand-to-hand combat is among the most impressive you’re likely to come across, the film’s OTT approach to firearms is utterly overwhelming at times. With a body count that would make Commando blush, the film’s overabundance of guns certainly fits its overblown, retrograde vibe, however, after two gratuitous hours of flying bullets and detonating grenades, it all becomes pretty wearying.

Managing to top even John Wick’s level of gun-fu, Extraction unfortunately lacks the style or charisma to get away with such wanton gun wankery, yet it all somehow grows to become part of the film’s ridiculous charm. As the camera ducks and weaves amongst the blood and bullets, the breathless, non-stop action bombards the senses and, for the most part, keeps you distracted from just how bang-average the rest of the film is. 

Littered with cliché, the plot, characters, and dialogue do very little to complement the impressive action, as Sam Hargrave’s immaculately executed combat is let down by sub-par writing. With his first film script since 2002’s Welcome to Collinwood, Joe Russo could certainly be forgiven for being rusty behind the keyboard, however, so much of Extraction’s writing lacks personality that you wonder whether a more seasoned screenwriter may have added the kind of charismatic spark that’s sorely missing here.

Despite the best efforts of a solid, admirably multi-cultural cast, the plot hits all the obvious beats, veering way too far into white saviour territory for comfort, while the characters are largely clichéd and laden with the kind of blunt dialogue that does no one any favours. Mixing international stars like Randeep Hooda and Golshifteh Farahani with the sturdy Hollywood talents of David Harbour, Extraction’s extended cast offers a collection of committed performances, yet they’re all undermined by the uninspiring script.

However, this is of course the Chris Hemsworth show all the way, as the film makes no bones about being the kind of straight-up action vehicle you rarely see these days. And to his credit, the Aussie star steps up to the mark in a way we’ve rarely seen outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe, putting in a full-blooded performance full of brutality, brooding, and so much smouldering testosterone that your broadband might melt under the intensity.

While Tyler Rake may be a brooding ball of pure action hero cliché – complete with a tragic past, raging alcoholism, and a nothing-to-lose death wish – Hemsworth positively throws himself (quite literally at times) into the role with the kind of full-throttle attitude that goes a long way. It certainly lacks the kind of humour and charisma that has seen his Thor grow to become one of the finest characters in the MCU, yet Hemsworth’s absolute commitment to the role is positively infectious.

With the weight of an entire film – and potentially a whole franchise – resting on his shoulders, Hemsworth never buckles under the pressure, as he rises to the challenge with the kind of gusto that’s been lacking from much of his work of late. In perhaps the most significant moment of his career since Thor, this feels like the point Chris Hemsworth became a star in his own right; and with potential for Extraction to grow into the franchise Netflix are clearly hoping for, he may have finally broken free of Asgard.

Generic and cliché-ridden though it may be, a full-blooded performance from Chris Hemsworth and the superb action eye of stuntman-turned-director Sam Hargrave lift Extraction above its deficiencies. Bolstered by beautifully brutal fight choreography and the kind of immersive action that so many likeminded movies fail to grasp, the film goes some way to recapturing the energy that made the likes of Bourne and John Wick such a success. Despite possessing little of the character or charisma of those two, Extraction is the shot in the arm Chris Hemsworth’s post-MCU career sorely needed and the kind of balls-out, no-nonsense action entertainment that quarantined nights in were made for.