Sam Hargrave's name may not be instantly recognisable, but his work should be. He served as the stunt coordinator on Marvel Studios movies like Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Endgame, both of which boasted incredible action sequences. Now, though, he's making the move to the director's chair for new Netflix movie Extraction. Produced by fellow Marvel Cinematic Universe regulars Joe and Anthony Russo (with a screenplay from the former), this action flick is essential viewing this weekend, and an incredible debut for the Hargrave as a filmmaker.
In terms of action, if you've been looking for a fix of Bourne-style combat since that franchise reached its end, Extraction definitely delivers. Following mercenary Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth) sometimes feels like being in a video game as he guns down enemy after enemy, but that's not a complaint, because the way Hargrave shoots the action here helps give the impression that you're part of it (many of them play out in what feels like one take, a great technical feat). It's those fights which really steal the show, though, and one scene with Rake using, well, an actual rake, will stick with you for the foreseeable. Also worth mentioning is the action which takes place in vehicles; there are some thrilling chases here, and the director's background in stunts has clearly helped him get a good grip on how to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
Hemsworth is excellent as the mercenary tasked with rescuing the son of a gangster kidnapped by a rival, and like any good action hero, there's more to him than meets the eye. Randeep Hooda is highlight, while Black Widow star David Harbour makes a brief, yet memorable appearance, as an old ally of Rake's. Golshifteh Farahani is Extraction's main female character and her receiving a little more screentime would have been no bad thing as she brings a lot to the table here. However, it's youngster Rudraksh Jaiswal who really steals the show with an earnest and compelling performance. His dynamic with Hemsworth is a memorable one, and seeing them work together again down the line (Thor: Love and Thunder, anyone?) would be no bad thing.
Initially, you would have been forgiven for writing this off as just another forgettable Netflix original, albeit with some big names attached. However, Extraction now joins a growing stable of quality films from the streaming service, and there's serious franchise potential here. We could be looking at the next Bourne, and that's a gap in the market which has needed to be filled for a while now. Joe Russo's screenplay is excellent, and Hargrave takes full advantage of that to deliver a great film with a killer finale. By the time the credits roll (no, there's no Marvel-style stinger), you might just find yourself repeating, "Please let Sam Hargrave make a Marvel movie, please let Sam Hargrave make a Marvel movie" to yourself, because he's definitely going to be one to watch moving forward.
Extraction features a Chris Hemsworth more badass than Bond and more brutal than Bourne, and Sam Hargrave's debut feature will hopefully serve as a launching platform for this to be an action-packed new franchise on Netflix.