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movie review - Extraction 2

the journal of Michael Werneburg

twenty-seven years and one million words

Kokubunji, 2023.06.17

This is a sequel to the interesting Netflix movie "Extraction", which was a straight-up assassin story with enough intelligence and vulnerability to set it apart from the usual fare that I think most of us have been ignoring for decades. While the first pitted our frelance mercenary hero against a Bengali organized crime ring, the sequel involves a more complex plot involving some Caucasian lunatics with a quasi-religious bent. Both stories involve liberating kidnapped children, but whereas the first was strictly a for-hire matter, this time there's a personal angle as the imprisoned children are in fact the kids of the Big Bad, and also the nephews of the hero's main employer.

This one is very high octane, with a particular scenes in a prison brake sequence that setting the tone. This sequel follows its predecessor in making the rescuee more than just an object. In this case one of the targets is himself conflicted about the struggle between his parents. Surprise, surprise.

I enjoyed this for what is it is, and what it is not. The hero makes a too-fast recovery from his fragile state but overall we retain the relative intelligence of the whole thing. He is not invulnerable, he does not have perfect knowledge, and he's a real guy with his own limits.

Recommended.

rand()m quote

Ambition is the enemy of man. It stunts his ability to simplify the day. It is in simplicity we find peace.

—Allan Watts