May 28

May 28 Sam Hargrave’s “EXTRACTION”

Chris Hemsworth plays a mercenary for hire who gets a contract to rescue the adolescent son of an Indian drug kingpin who has been kidnapped by another drug kingpin. The bulk of the action takes place in Bangladesh as the mercenary "extracts" the kid from his kidnappers and makes his way to an extraction point just outside of town. Along the way there are constant killings, violence, explosions, chases, crashes, and more killings. Our mercenary is exceptionally good at what he does as he shepherds the kid through a terrifying and exhilarating sequence of engagements. Anyone attempting to chart the body count will be hard pressed to keep up.

Along the way we do learn a bit about Hensworth’s character but just barely enough to let us know that inside this human killing machine there may still exist, deep down, a tortured human soul.

Yes, the plot is a bit thin -- we need to get the kid from point A to point B and there will be much mayhem along the way. What elevates this film above garden variety gun-for-hire super soldier blood fests is the production quality. Chase scenes, car crashes, multistory falls, and hand to hand fight choreography are exceptionally well directed and photographed.

It helps of course that most action centers on Chris Hemsworth who we know from can be supremely charming and likable. But that's not the Hemsworth we get here. There are occasional peeks into his “tortured soul” but most of the time we're seeing Chris (or his stunt double) acting like a cross between John Wick and Batman (minus the brooding).

This movie is pure escapism. It has danger, thrills, and vicarious split second escapes up the Whazoo. If that's your thing, fine. But don't expect to see a charming and wisecracking Thor wielding Mjölnir and thunderbolts. This one is deadly and brutal and perhaps is as good an illustration of “the pornography of fictional violence” this side of John Wick that we are apt to see anywhere.