Extraction 2 Made Chris Hemsworth 'Strip Down' The Body He Built For Thor
When he isn't rampaging through the latest Marvel CGI-fest as the God of Thunder, Chris Hemsworth can be found extracting stuff on Netflix as black market operative Tyler Rake. The character seemed to resonate with audiences back in 2020 when "Extraction" hit the streamer and promptly became a huge hit. Which is why Rake is back for a second round, having miraculously made it through being shot in the neck and falling off a bridge at the end of the first movie.
"Extraction 2" has now hit Netflix, providing plenty of high intensity action as Hemsworth's hero once again shoots and punches his way through wave after wave of bad guys. The sequel sees the Aussie star re-team with "Thor" franchise co-star Idris Elba, who shows up as a character known simply as the Man in the Suit. But unlike in his role as Thor, where his godly might is projected by Hemsworth's hulking physique, the leading man has to be a lot more nimble here in order to make it through his extraction missions. Which means the actor has to trim down his body for the shoots.
With "Extraction 2" pushing the envelope as far as the action goes, that was more important than ever. This time around there's a 21-minute "one-take" sequence (which is, in reality, a few takes stitched together) that Hemsworth claims is the "hardest thing [he's] ever done." Good thing he was in perfect shape for this outing, then.
'More flexibility, more functionality'
Director Sam Hargrave previously spoke about having to be in top physical condition himself when shooting the "Extraction" movies. Prior to overseeing the first film, the stunt performer actually doubled for Chris Evans as Captain America, and told Men's Health, "For the Avengers movies, you had to stay functionally strong, but you also had to look like the actor. So there were a lot of aesthetic workouts that we would do." But when it came to the "Extraction" movies, he directed as if he was part of the stunt team, flying around on wires and follow cars while shooting the scenes himself. That required him to maintain a much more lean and functional physique.
And that's exactly what Chris Hemsworth had to do in order to play Tyler Rake. Speaking to Rappler, the actor explained how trimming down and steering away from muscle mass actually helped reduce the risk of injury, adding:
"For 'Thor,' it was more aesthetic and about building muscle and looking bigger and stronger, but it wasn't overly functional. For this film, it was about stripping a lot of that down and being able to move more. More flexibility, more functionality."
Hemsworth also recalled how having a stunt performer in the director's chair (or director's harness, in this case) was useful, as Hargrave could actually demonstrate the stunt himself before the team performed it. The director explained:
"I try to look at it like a fan myself.... What would I enjoy? How can I do that in a way that is interesting or hasn't been done before? There's so many great action designers and choreographers out there and I don't feel like I'll out-choreograph them. But I might photograph it in a way that's unique to my point of view."
Muscle and action are the main draw here
"Extraction" was impressive in terms of its stunts and action choreography, but didn't quite have the intrigue of a "John Wick" franchise entry, which is widely considered the current pinnacle of Hollywood action filmmaking. Tyler Rake is somewhat of an action cliche, with writer/producer Joe Russo engaging in the age-old technique of "fridging" the character's son in order to give Rake some motivation. In "Extraction 2," there's even a scene where Rake watches a video clip of his ex-wife and their son frolicking on the beach — why is it always the beach?
All of which is to say that the action really is the only selling point here, and there's no doubt Hargrave, Hemsworth, and the crew pushed themselves to outdo the first movie. Unfortunately, it just reads as more of the same. Even while the action sequences are bigger and the takes are longer, it doesn't necessarily feel all that different than the first movie.
Which is a shame, considering the obvious dedication of everyone involved. Hemsworth trimming down is just a part of a much larger whole, which, if you watch the behind the scenes "first look" clip, you'll see required all kinds of planning and highly specific stunt work, including landing a real helicopter on a moving train. Maybe that will be enough to bring in viewers and allow Hargrave to make his planned Tyler Rake trilogy. For now, you can admire Hemsworth's finely-tuned physique on Netflix as "Extraction 2" is streaming right now.