The Netflix movie Extraction includes a one-shot action sequence that runs 12 minutes in length, and director Sam Hargrave had to fight for it to be realized. Extraction stars Chris Hemsworth as mercenary Tyler Rake, who is hired to rescue Ovi Mahajan Jr. (Rudhrasksh Jaiswal) during a mission in Bangladesh. When Extraction debuted on Netflix in April 2020, the one-shot setpiece helped make the movie a massive hit on the streaming platform.
Talking with Scott Adkins on his show The Art of Action (via YouTube), Hargrave explained that the sequence was made in an effort to build upon the one-shot stairwell fight in the movie Atomic Blonde. He stated that after the positive response to that sequence, "I wanted to take that and go bigger with Extraction." Acknowledging the numerous logistical challenges of realizing Extraction's big action sequence — which made it a big enough hit for Netflix to greenlight Extraction 2 — Hargrave revealed that it was an element of the movie that he had to push hard for.
Hargrave stated "I fought for it in production, I fought for it in post-production," and that the setpiece being completed as he intended "wasn't a guarantee." Hargrave also stated that he continued to face pressure to "cut it up" when Extraction was in post-production. It was only when, as Hargrave stated, Netflix "saw the fully realized vision" that he convinced the streamer that his approach to designing the sequence was the way to go with it, and it's very fortunate that that came to pass.
Comprised of a car chase, a building escape, hand-to-hand combat, gunplay, and knife fighting, Extraction's one-shot setpiece is 12 minutes of action movie perfection. The complexity of the sequence meant that it wasn't literally filmed in a single shot, with Extraction hiding numerous cuts within the seemingly one take. This is common practice as one-shot action scenes grow longer and more elaborate, and Extraction's scene captures the exhilaration and feeling of direct involvement fantastically well.
The April release of Extraction effectively made it that year's de facto summer movie season kickoff due to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic closed movie theaters for months. Extraction was Hemsworth's first real breakout success outside of his role as Thor in the MCU and enabled him to establish himself as a compelling action hero. When it came to the film itself, it was Extraction's oner that made it a must-see.
Had Hargrave not been able to present the sequence as a one-shot action scene, Extraction would have lost the very thing that viewers tuned in to see with the most anticipation. Thankfully, it became one of the best recent oner action sequences. With Extraction 2 on the way and Hargrave and Hemsworth both returning, it seems like a sure thing that Extraction's most adored aspect earned them all the leeway they needed to create similar action movie magic in the sequel.