Sam Hargrave's Extraction is not Netflix's The Raid, despite it trying to be. Stuntman-turned-filmmaker Hargrave directs Chris Hemsworth in Netflix's latest action movie; he helms a script penned by Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame's Joe Russo, who is adapting his own graphic novel for the screen. Like John Wick or the aforementioned The Raid, Extraction exists more as a vehicle for tightly-orchestrated action choreography and set pieces.
Extraction recounts the story of alcoholic mercenary Tyler Rake (Hemsworth), who receives a job in Bangladesh to rescue the son of an imprisoned drug lord, being held captive by a rival gang. The price tag on young Ovi's (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) head is a large one; a group of nameless crooks is after him, forcing the pair to race against the clock to survive. With Dhaka on full lockdown, Tyler needs to fight his way to the extraction point to deliver Ovi home safely.
While Extraction's story suffers from cliche, the thinly-sketched screenplay is used primarily as a means to deliver impressive action, thus drawing comparisons to Gareth Evans' The Raid. The two films aren't very dissimilar in terms of plot; they both follow skilled mercenaries on off-the-books missions amassing an obscene body count while trying to extract someone from a precarious situation - Rake with Ovi in Extraction; Rama and his estranged brother Andi in The Raid. Plus, both films come from filmmakers who have action choreography backgrounds. The problem is, while the action in Extraction can be impressive at times, there's a fundamental difference between the two movies.
One of the most impressive action scenes in Extraction is the 12-minute one-shot, but while it's certainly commendable, the rest of the movie can't live up to The Raid. The difference is that Evans' entire cast are martial artists while Hargrave's is not. They all have extensive experience with Silat - the martial art involved in The Raid. It's a technique of fighting about defense and anticipating your opponent's moves; as the stuntwork in the film shows, there's a lot of fluidity to the combat between the characters. The reason for this is because the cast themselves are experienced with Silat and Indonesian fighting techniques.
This extends to the same way that Keanu Reeves trained in gun-fu for John Wick, the cast of The Raid has training in martial arts. Their skills make the scenes far more visceral and taut and gripping. Extraction can't compete because of this barrier between performance and technique. Extraction's action scenes are great, but Hemsworth and the rest of the cast aren't - or, at least don't appear to be - true martial artists. Comparing to The Raid is a tough thing to do; John Wick at least made the combat more dynamic, whereas Extraction's action - as well helmed as it is - feels inspired by the superior execution and knowledge of The Raid. As a result, it's a bit derivative as well.
