I had high expectations before watching Netflix’s “Extraction” because Chris Hemsworth was starring in this new action thriller. The movie kept me on the edge of my seat with a moving story full of compelling violence, which was on par with my expectations.

The story follows Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth), an Australian mercenary hired to extract Ovi Mahajan (Rudhraksh Jaiswal). Amir Asif (Priyanshu Painyuli), the largest drug lord in Bangladesh, kidnaps Ovi as bait because of his rivalry with Ovi’s father, the largest drug lord in India. When Rake’s team dies, and Asif closes down Dhaka, he has to survive with Ovi until he is extracted. 

“Extraction” features mind-blowing action that kept me somewhat emotionally invested in Rake and Ovi’s lives. However, beyond the action scenes, there was not much sentimental development for each of the characters. The producers do not give Rake much backstory beyond an emotionally torn mercenary who lost his son and left his wife. Ovi does not receive a real backstory either, as the filmmakers presented him as a timid, drug lord’s son that plays the piano. Since the creators of this movie do not give much background to the characters, it leads to little emotional development throughout the film.

The plot of “Extraction” is straightforward and gets right to the point. There is no information withheld from the audience, so it lacks suspense. The movie also starts with a flashback, which gives away the basic ending to the story. Nonetheless, the constant action and violence did give me a sense of fear. 

Overall, “Extraction” featured realistic violence and stunts that were extremely compelling. However, there was no emotional character development for Rake or Ovi, which led to less emotional investment. In general, the movie could have improved through more character background before the kidnapping and a more complicated plot. This would have drawn more of the audience into the characters and the story and added twists into the plot.

“Extraction:” ★★★☆☆