Extraction II

Directed by Sam Hargrave, Extraction II follows Chris Hemsworth’s Tyler Rake as he embarks on a perilous mission to rescue a woman and her children from a dangerous situation. Filmmaker Hargrave, armed with Joe Russo’s screenplay, delivers an erratically-paced yet mostly engaging thriller that falls right in line with the entertaining original film, and there’s little doubt, certainly, that the picture’s success is due almost entirely to the proliferation of over-the-top, thoroughly engaging action sequences – with, especially, the inclusion of a propulsive (and single-take) stretch near the beginning just as enthralling and gripping as one might hoped. And while the 122 minute running time admittedly does result in a few palpable lulls (ie the film is periodically just a little too frenetic and violent), Extraction II, which boasts a predictably solid lead turn by Hemsworth, generally (and for the most part) comes off as a superior modern action extravaganza that puts certain other similarly-themed series to shame (eg John Wick).

*** out of ****