Tag: John Wick

Extraction Review (No Spoilers) – Netflix Original

With movie theatres shut down and all of us stuck in our homes, thanks to Covid-19 and the shelter-in-place orders, streaming services like Netflix, Disney+, Quibi(!), etc. have been stepping up their game and releasing a ton of content to keep us entertained.

Extraction is a bit of a mini-Avengers reunion as it is written and produced by Joe Russo (one of the directors of Winter Soldier, Civil War, Infinity War and Endgame), stars Chris Hemsworth (Thor himself), and is directed by Sam Hargrave (stunt-man in the Avengers films).  The premise is fairly straightforward – A group of mercenaries are tasked with rescuing the kidnapped son of a big Indian crime lord but when the mission goes south and the boy becomes expendable, Tyler Rake (played by Hemsworth) has to choose: to protect or to ditch the boy.

Positives

At the risk of stating the obvious, Extraction has some of the best action sequences I have seen in a while, ever since the first John Wick film. Just like that Keanu-led franchise, this movie is also directed by a stunt-coordinator, which is showcased in the fight scenes. The action is brutal, visceral, and is extremely well-choreographed. Rather than relying on shaky-cam or quick cuts, the filmmakers let the action scenes breathe and use a variety of action (car chases, gunfights, knife-fights, etc.) to keep it from getting stale. In fact, there is one 12-minute long-take, which had me at the edge of my seat!

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Action aside, this movie also has solid performances, especially from one Chris Hemsworth. He sells the film’s action convincingly but also does a really job in the one-on-one character moments. Tyler has a very traumatic past, as he lost his 6-year old son to lymphoma, and ends up seeing Ovi (the kidnapped kid) as his surrogate son. Speaking of the kid, played well by newcomer Rudhraksh Jaiswal, he has some good back-and-forth with Tyler and ends up being more than a lad-in-distress (male version of damsel-in-distress?). David Harbour has an extended cameo and he delivers as usual. Lastly, one of the more humanized characters in the film ends up being this elite Special Forces-type assassin figure, Saju. Initially, he’s presented as an antagonistic figure and has questionable motivations but the movie, thankfully, delves deeper into his backstory and makes him a sympathetic character.

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Courtesy of Netflix, AGBO, Thematic Entertainment, India Take One Productions, and T.G.I.M. Films

Negatives

Don’t expect anything Shakespearean from a movie called ‘Extraction.’ The plot is pretty thin and is pretty predictable. Not to mention, the backstories provided feel obligated to appeal to those who want some semblance of a story rather than 100% action. As mentioned before, we learn that Tyler suffered a terrible loss and has been on a suicidal mission ever since. Ovi, the son of the Indian drug lord, talks about his dad and how uncomfortable it gets to, for example, have dinner with him, knowing that his dad kills people. However, the movie just glosses over the duo’s lives to get to the destruction and mayhem, which feels a little disappointing, as they had the set-up to explore these characters more and become more than a mindless action film. Tyler’s popping-pills-and-drinking-alcohol persona is one of the few scenes we get of him suffering from PTSD and as we all know by now, those are absolutely some of the biggest cliches for a hardened-action movie hero.

In addition, the inevitable bond between Tyler and Ovi needed more fleshing out. The pair only have a couple of conversations before a hardened-mercenary like Tyler decides to save the boy at all costs. 

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Courtesy of Netflix, AGBO, Thematic Entertainment, India Take One Productions, and T.G.I.M. Films

Rating – Solid Recommendation

Extraction doesn’t redefine the action movie genre by any stretch of the imagination. The story is boilerplate and is riddled with the genre cliches but more importantly, it delivers on its promise. It has terrific action and just enough character work to make me care for these characters. If you got a couple of hours to kill, I recommend checking out Extraction!

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John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (Mild Spoilers)

The John Wick franchise is one of my favorite franchises of all time. John Wick 1, one of my favorite films, was such a pleasant surprise, with some amazing action sequences. John Wick 2, albeit not as good as the first one, had some great world-building and the action was once again top-notch. Now, the third chapter of this Keanu-led action-heavy franchise is back! Even though I won’t spoil the events of Parabellum, I have to give a SPOILER WARNING for the ending of the previous movies. You have been warned!

This movie picks up just minutes after the shocking end of the second film. Because he conducted business on the Continental ground by killing Santiago, Wick now has exactly one hour before he becomes excommunicado, meaning the services of the Continental will soon cease for him. In addition, there is now a $14 million bounty on him and all the assassins in New York want a piece of that. Wick has to do #WhateverItTakes (sorry I had to) to survive.

Positives – Ok, we really can’t talk about anything else before first showering praise on the fight sequences in the film! There are so many visceral, heart-pounding action scenes, with excellent choreography and gorgeous set-pieces. In the first 20 minutes alone, Wick finds different ways to kill assassins, including a wonderful-yet-gruesome knife scene. Altogether, the current estimates of the body count land around 160-170 people… just insane! Keanu Reeves, often proclaimed to be the ‘nicest man in Hollywood’, is once again great as John Wick and is willing to go the extra mile to actually do his gun-fu scenes to make them feel more authentic. Halle Berry, who plays Sofia, is also really good and brings a lot to the physicality of the role. There is one fight scene in Casablanca with both Wick and Sofia fighting side-by-side with her (dangerous and fierce) K9 dogs, and oh boy, they kill over 50-60 people in that scene alone. The supporting characters from the first movie, like Winston and Charon, have a little more to do this time around and do get a couple of scene-stealing moments. Even though it’s quite shallow, the movie does attempt to raise a dilemma for its titular character – “what are you fighting for?”

Negatives – Even though the fight scenes are extremely well-choreographed and intense, I was a little fatigued after a point. Some of the fight scenes, like the Casablanca one, drag on for quite a while with no end in sight. An action scene, devoid of any emotions or drama, is simply “visual noise.” What made the first movie so good is that you were emotionally invested in the character and the fight scenes were “emotionally-charged.” In the (still-enjoyable) sequels, however, there are fight scenes for the sake of having a cool fight scene. Once again, there is quite of world-building and we learn more about the High Table. However, the intrigue of this clandestine organization is starting to wear off on me. Without delving into spoilers, there is a choice that Wick makes in the third act, which renders the entire High Table-focused second act pointless. In addition, the character of John Wick is slowly starting to feel like a superhuman, especially during the third act. Yes, he is the Baba Yaga “man you send to kill the boogeyman” and he does get hurt a lot, but he survives a heck of a lot.

Rating – In summary, John Wick 3 delivers on its promise – non-stop action with stellar choreography and beautiful set-pieces. However, the filmmakers should add some more emotional beats in the inevitable fourth chapter, to avoid the audience feeling franchise-fatigued. 4/5.

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