Extraction 2 (English) Review {3.0/5} & Review Rating
EXTRACTION 2 is the story of a mercenary heading to Georgia for a deadly mission. After the events of the first film, Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) miraculously survives. After recovering, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani) and Yaz (Adam Bessa) help him relocate to Gmunden, Austria. One day, a mysterious man (Idris Elba) assigns a mission to Tyler. Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili), sister of Tyler’s ex-wife Mia (Olga Kurylenko) is married to a deadly gangster of Georgia, Davit Radiani (Tornike Bziava). Davit is imprisoned at Tkachiri Prison and he has forcibly got Mia and their kids, son Sandro (Andro Japaridze) and daughter Nina (Mariami Kovziashvili/Marta Kovziashvili) to stay with him in the jail. Tyler is told to extract Ketevan and her children. Tyler takes up the mission and gets Nik and Yaz on board as well. He infiltrates the Tkachiri Prison and while trying to run with Ketevan and the children, he gets attacked by Davit. Davit gets killed in the mayhem. This enrages his brother Zurab (Tornike Gogrichiani), a notorious gangster and drug lord and he goes all out to exact revenge. What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Joe Russo's story is intriguing and is in the same zone as the first part and yet takes the madness one level up. Joe Russo's screenplay is tight. The narrative is peppered with some exciting action scenes that make for a nail-biting watch. The emotional angle also works. However, the last 30 minutes are not as enticing as intended. The dialogues are normal.
Sam Hargrave's direction is top-notch. He handles the grandeur and action like a pro. The villain side is also quite powerful and it adds to the fun and entertainment. Of course, the biggest draw of the film is the much-talked-about 21-minute-long one-take shot. This is longer than the one-take sequence in EXTRACTION [2020] and the way the makers have gone all out with the scene in the sequel is seen to be believed. Even though the film falters later on, this particular scene and the way the team pulled it off with such finesse compensate for it.
On the flipside, while the first and second acts of the film are thoroughly entertaining, the last act is a bit unimaginative. The one-take shot and the action scene at the Vienna skyscraper take the madness level many notches higher and the climax fails to reach that level. Ideally, the film should have ended once Tyler and his team escape from Vienna.
Speaking of performances, Chris Hemsworth looks dashing and yet again puts up a great act. He is completely in his element in the action scenes but watch out for him in the emotional scenes. Golshifteh Farahani has a lengthier role this time and she delivers a bravura performance. She’s also quite nice in the action scenes. Adam Bessa is decent. Tornike Gogrichiani is superb as the antagonist. Tornike Bziava does well in a cameo. Tinatin Dalakishvili leaves a huge mark. Andro Japaridze has a crucial part and gives a fine performance. Mariami Kovziashvili and Marta Kovziashvili are cute. Idris Elba is dependable as always. Others do well.
Henry Jackman and Alex Belcher's music has a cinematic feel. Greg Baldi's cinematography is spectacular. The various locales are very well shot. Philip Ivey's production design is superior. The action is obviously the highpoint in the film. It is a bit gory but overall, it’s quite entertaining. The fight on the rooftop glass, especially, stands out among many other notable action scenes in the film. Rebekka Jónsdóttir and Jennifer Lander's costumes are rich. Alex Rodríguez's editing is sharp.
On the whole, EXTRACTION 2 works due to the nail-biting action scenes, Chris Hemsworth’s starry presence and the much-talked-about 21-minute-long one-take shot. The film, however, falters due to a weak climax.