Extraction is an action thriller film based on the graphic novel "Ciudad" by Ande Parks. Starring Chris Hemsworth in the lead role and directed by stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave, it is a generic kidnap and rescue story kept involving by its well shot action scenes and consistent performance by its main star.

In Mumbai, India, Ovi Mahajan Jr (Rudhraksh Jaiswal), the son of a notorious Indian drug lord, is kidnapped and held to ransom by a group of gangsters working for Amir Asif (Priyanshu Painyuli), Bangladesh's most ruthless drug kingpin, and brought to the capital city of Dhaka. As Ovi's father is currently in prison, he is unable to properly pay the ransom and time is running out over whether or not Ovi will be brought home in one piece. To ensure Ovi's safe return, former soldier and black market mercenary Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) is recruited to travel to Dhaka to extract Ovi from his kidnappers and navigate through the dangerous city with Amir's gang and corrupt police officers hot on their tails.

While this genre isn't anything new, Extraction still proves that with the right amount of creative action and star power, there is still some entertainment value to be had. The story follows the typical plot line of an important individual being kidnapped and a tough macho protagonist attempting to rescue said individual. Cliched and silly? Yes, but if that's what you enjoy, then this is for you. The strong violence and gore will certainly be off-putting to casual audiences, but for the most part I think it looked stylised in the vein of the graphic novel from which it was based. With that said, some of it did feel excessive at times and served little purpose other than for sensationalistic action scenes involving the two main characters. In terms of the screenplay, some it felt confusing near the beginning as it didn't do that good of a job establishing the differences between the Indian and Bangladeshi characters to the viewer. We are shown that there is something of a rivalry amidst the two countries involving their drug empires but it isn't really communicated that clearly how severe it is over the course of the film. Also, we see how some of the police forces in each country are in cahoots with the drug lords as they have been bribed to work in their favour but they only really show up in one or two scenes and aren't ever mentioned again. This felt like a missed opportunity to offer a commentary on police corruption but instead it was brushed aside for some more action.

Stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave, making his directorial debut, showcases his talents for cleverly choreographed fight scenes and single take shots that keep the viewer on edge. There were parts where I was reminded of some the action-packed moments depicted in the John Wick films, in that the lead character made good use of the surrounding environment to take out his adversaries, even using simple everyday objects as weapons. He also shows how claustrophobic the densely populated cities of India and Bangladesh can be when trying to maneuver through the large number of people to get to where one is going, especially if you're being pursued by dangerous gang members. I still think he has a long way to go before he can be taken seriously as a storyteller, but he has certainly nailed the action and cinematography side of things.

Chris Hemsworth plays his usual badass action hero self, shooting, stabbing and punching his way through a seemingly endless number of foes. At this point, it's pretty much confirmed that this is the only type of role he is capable of playing but still, if it ain't broke. I particularly liked his scenes with the young Ovi Jr and how he becomes something of a father figure to him throughout the course of film. There is a nice back and forth dynamic between the two, clearly reflecting on Hemsworth's personal love of India and its people. Unfortunately his interactions with the rest of the cast felt lacking, save for a scene or two with David Harbour, who plays an old army acquaintance of his. These were the only parts of the film that offer some kind of emotional connection with the audience, as the rest is merely bullets flying and things being blown up.

As I mentioned earlier, this film offers nothing new from the kidnap and rescue genre but a great deal of its appeal comes from the action rather than the story. Reportedly, there is a sequel in development and although I don't really see this whole thing becoming a franchise, I think it does provide an opportunity for further world building and the ironing out of some this film's issues. If you have nothing better to watch on Netflix, then there's not much else to say but sit back and enjoy this for what it is.

I rate it 6.5/10