Why Extraction 2 Director Sam Hargrave Had To Be In Top Shape Like Chris Hemsworth
What do you get when you put a stunt performer in charge of an action movie? Well, the "John Wick" franchise. But also, "Extraction." 2020's hugely popular Netflix actioner starred Chris Hemsworth as a mercenary for hire who's sent on a mission to extract the son of India's biggest drug lord from captivity in Bangladesh. Which, as you might expect, was basically an excuse to see the "Thor" actor doing a bunch of cool stunts and fighting bad guys. But what gave "Extraction" its edge was the fact it was all overseen by Sam Hargrave — a stuntman who'd previously been Chris Evans' Captain America double and who's generally had a prolific career as a Hollywood stunt coordinator.
Unsurprisingly, Hargrave was keen to get in on the action, perhaps most notably in the movie's 12-minute "one-take" sequence (which was actually several shots cut together with clever editing). For this particular scene, Hargrave acted as a kind of guerilla camera op, following Hemsworth's Tyler Rake as he battled his way through the streets of Ahmedabad, India. A behind-the-scenes featurette shows the director in the thick of the action, depicting him strapped to the front of a follow car, narrowly avoiding the chaos around him.
And now, Hargrave and Hemsworth are set to return with "Extraction 2," which looks to have pushed the action even further than the first movie. That's a good thing considering the original had a captive audience due to the global pandemic and the sequel needs to do something big to secure a post-lockdown viewership. Naturally, the stuntman-turned-director threw himself back into the job this time around and made sure he was in peak physical condition to do so.
Hargrave had to keep up with Hemsworth
We already know "Extraction 2" is going to almost double the length of the 12-minute oner from the original, promising to deliver a 21-minute one-take shot that sees Chris Hemsworth literally set on fire amid a prison brawl. That should give you some idea of how much Hargrave, his star, and the "Extraction 2" team in general pushed themselves this time around.
And once again, Hargrave, not content to merely call out direction from behind video village, was right in the mix with his actors. The director spoke to Men's Health about the physical requirements for being such an active filmmaker, explaining that as a stuntman, he would design his workouts with "aesthetics" in mind, to ensure his physique matched up to whoever he was doubling for. But with "Extraction" and its sequel, he had to rethink his approach. In fact, Hargarve revealed that his 2020 directorial debut was actually "the most difficult film that [he's] had to train for," adding:
"I had to be in top shape, because I was following the actors and stunt performers around all over set all day and I was not going to be the one that ran out of breath and had to redo the take."
The filmmaker went on to explain his unusual workout schedule involves setting an alarm on his phone for every 30 minutes, prompting him to stop what he's doing and, "do the chosen exercise for the day," revealing that he maintains that practice on set. That likely helped with "Extraction 2," which the director previously promised would bring "twice the action" and a one-shot sequence that's "more intricate and extreme than before."
Will it pay off?
If you watch the first-look teaser for "Extraction 2," you can see Sam Hargrave is back in the mix, taking on camera op duties and basically becoming part of the movie's stunt team. He speaks from behind a helmet and protective gear as he makes big promises about how he's upped the ante this time around, suggesting he's just as much, if not more involved in actively shooting the film this time around.
The camera movement in "Extraction" was one of the film's main selling points. Not only were the action sequences impressively choreographed and expertly performed, they were shot dynamically, with the camera weaving its way through the various fights and chase scenes, putting you in the midst of the chaos. And while that was a neat little aspect of the movie, it didn't necessarily come across as anything ground-breaking, especially considering what writer/producer Joe Russo promised when he said "I think it's going to surprise a lot of people."
It will be interesting to see just how far Hargrave and co. pushed themselves this time around, and whether it translates to something more than just a cool action streaming movie. Chris Hemsworth has already said the one-take sequence in this film is "the hardest thing [he's] ever done," so perhaps doubling down on the action will push "Extraction 2" beyond the first. We'll have to see how that pans out when the movie hits Netflix on June 16, 2023.