Extraction. Deconstructed.

Star cast: Chris Hemsworth, Randeep Hooda, Rudhraksh Jaiswal

Director: Sam Hargrave

Teleplay: Joe Russo

Deconstruct meter: 7.5/10

The last time I saw something as jaw dropping was The Raid: Redemption. That day and this day; Extraction. Filmed in India. Set in Bangladesh. Written and directed by filmmakers from Hollywood. Performed by actors from Australia, India and the USA. Bravo! Netflix has pulled a rabbit out of the hat by combining globalization and cinema to great effect. Their global audience only augurs well for this move. Extraction is as fast paced as they come. There is no room for excess fatty content. It is all trimmed right down to the last thread. It has a runtime of around two hours and it is pure hardcore uninterrupted brutal action.

Coming to the plot, well, there isn’t much of it. It is literally a one-line story. But the execution is what sets it apart. There is no element of surprise as far as the plot is concerned. The viewer always knows where it is headed. The screenplay is downright crazy. The tension keeps rising all the way. It is like an alley which keeps getting narrower every time you move forward. The long varied-angled real-time takes are a highlight of this film. It is tough work to achieve finesse shooting action in a congested setup with long takes. And it works wonders here. Add exceptional fight choreography to those long takes. It is absolute bliss for action lovers. A certain element of gloom persists throughout the runtime. There is absolutely no room for any sort of comic relief (which is synonymous with Chris Hemsworth). Nothing whatsoever. Not even remotely.

Chris Hemsworth’s Tyler Rake is a mercenary with a tragic past (well, when is it not) and he is dealing with the loss in his own way. An extraction mission comes his way. Next thing we know the action moves to Dhaka and Tyler is up and about doing what he does best. Things go haywire when the plan is roiled by an insider (Randeep Hooda, rediscovering himself) and all bets are off. Soon, it becomes Bangladesh vs Tyler Rake. He shoots, punches and kicks his way out of the shit hole. Chris Hemsworth does a fantastic job as the ultimate killing machine. He pulls off the mad action choreography and makes it more tense and violent. He moves almost like a machine. Smooth and elegant and forceful. Boy oh by, it is glorious. Extraction is like a combination of John Wick and Die Hard. The chaotic and congested locale make it more gripping. It is replete with guns and twisted, brutal hand to hand combat sequences. All awe inspiring.

Extraction is Randeep Hooda’s brilliant rediscovery. He was definitely missing in action for a few years. This is a great platform for him to showcase his skills. He performs with absolute aplomb in every frame. Better still, he matches the mighty Chris Hemsworth in every scene. Be it action or dialogue. This particular one on one street combat scene featuring Randeep Hooda’s Saju and Tyler Rake is absolutely brilliant. I love how the whole thing is shot in a palette of sepia. It highlights the wide angled shots of Dhaka and the Ganges river flowing right through it. Adds a certain aesthetic value. Talking about aesthetics, the milieu is completely wrong.

This film portrays more of a fictional Dhaka than there really exists. It makes Bangladesh look like just another small rundown lawless drug infested South American nation where a drug lord and a dictator control everything. The people are wrong. The language is wrong. The cops are wrong. The cop cars are wrong. Bangladesh is not as lawless as the movie depicts. Not Yet. Apart from that, the antagonist just doesn't fit. He comes across as a wannabe amateurish drug lord who does not know what do with all his power. All he ever does is intimidate kids and dole out lame philosophy which is expected to emanate fear. Well, it does not. This antagonist could have worked anywhere in South America; definitely not in the subcontinent. He just does not have the vigor.

The characters come across as carrying a lot of emotional baggage but it does not materialize in the film. It does not feel organic and very limited time is spent creating character arcs. Wasted cameos by Pankaj Tripathi and David Harbour are proof of that. Having said that, character exploration is not supposed to be the highlight of this film. Action is. And it is a marvel. Proper good old action. Fists and big guns.

The climax is poetic; executed like a graphic novel (Ciudad); which is also the source material for this film. Definitely worth a watch. If not for action, absolutely for Chris Hemsworth. He shines on.

Extraction. Streaming on Netflix.