Extraction 2

It makes me proud that the pumped-up and visually irresistible action scene from the prison was filmed right here in the Czech Republic. The stunts, camera, and other related work are top-notch, making Extraction 2 one of the biggest events outside of traditional cinema distribution. How much more shocking it is, then, that the plot, which only serves as a necessary complement to the first installment, stretches clichés that I thought had been abandoned in the 1990s, and the events on the Georgian side of the barricade suddenly become an unwanted parody. (06/19/2023)

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)

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. (06/16/2023)

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. (07/09/2023)

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)