One Extraction 2 Scene Is Being Mercilessly Mocked, But Does It Deserve It?
During the heyday of cable television, one of the most glorious aspects of limited accessibility and scheduled programming was catching an action movie in the middle of the afternoon. Thanks to stations like TNT, TBS, and USA, countless TV watchers from around the country developed an appreciation and hunger for absolute bug-nuts ridiculous action films that they might not have seen otherwise. And that passion for "Your Dad Would Love This Nonsense" action films didn't go away once cord-cutting became more of the norm and audiences pivoted from cable to streaming, which is why even the biggest box office flops can crack the Netflix top 10.
The consistent popularity of action movies on streamers like Netflix has led to the greenlighting of films like "The Gray Man," "Red Notice," and the 2020 juggernaut known as "Extraction," starring Chris Hemsworth. Directed by former stunt performer Sam Hargrave from a screenplay by Joe Russo, "Extraction" follows a black-market mercenary hired to rescue the kidnapped son of an international crime lord. The film was a massive success, becoming Netflix's most-watched original movie in history at the time, and inspiring the sequel "Extraction 2."
The sequel film sees the return of Hemsworth as protagonist Tyler Rake, in a surprisingly brutal action film that centers on his saving of a ruthless gangster's imprisoned family. The film is essentially more of the same as the original, but one scene in particular has fans on social media mocking, debating, and, in some instances, embracing the absurdity. The moment in question sees Rake opening a sectional door on a moving train to come face to face with a helicopter unloading bullets at him, so he takes cover ... behind a ladder.
How do you hide from bullets behind a ladder?
In case you've somehow forgotten how ladders work, they are about 80 percent open space, so hiding behind a ladder from a torrential downpour of bullets is as effective as a screen door on a submarine. One Twitter user indicated that they enjoyed "Extraction 2" infinitely more than "John Wick," though to be fair, it's hard to know if they were being serious or sarcastic. Regardless, Twitter user @tadashi_ysd responded to the claim by citing having watched "John Wick: Chapter 4" roughly "five times" and declared that film to be superior because "[please] tell me how you hide [from behind] a ladder from a helicopter shot." And this is just one of the countless examples that can be found by searching "Extraction 2 Ladder" on social media platforms.
On one hand, it is bafflingly derisory to watch Hemsworth use a ladder as a protective barrier against a helicopter trying to gun him down, but on the other hand, is this any more fantastical than what is presented in any other action film? Movie logic in action films has always required the suspension of disbelief, whether it's understanding that John Cena probably can't choke slam a man through the floor in real life the way he does in "Fast X", or that there's no way in hell that Liam Neeson has the special skills to track down and murder the crap out of human traffickers all across Europe in "Taken."
Poking fun at this specific "Extraction 2" scene is unnecessary nit-picking, a tragic result of the popularization of pop culture "criticism" in the style of CinemaSins. It's reductive to demand logic from a film that has little intention of obeying the rules of realism.
Embrace the absurdity
Fortunately, plenty of viewers on social media recognized the futility of complaining about such a non-issue. User @mnrrntt went viral pointing out the nonsensical logic behind the ladder scene, but clarified in later tweets "he kills about 400 people," and again "Please, this isn't a dig. I f***ing love films like this."
Tim Hines, the Executive Producer of Live Events & DEI Yahoo!, seemingly also loved the scene. "This is by far my favorite moment in 'Extraction 2,' Hemsworth takes cover behind a ladder from a helicopter machine gun," he tweeted. "Chef kiss. No notes." Getting hung up on the logistics or supposed "authenticity" in movies that double as macho power fantasies is a waste of time and can ruin the escapist fun to be found in movies like this.
It's also important to remember that realism is subjective, because what seems universally accepted on paper might be a sign of a massive plot hole for another viewer. "Forget about the ladder, the most unrealistic thing about #Extraction2 is the kid knowing his uncle's phone number by heart," said user Marco Patitucci. Of course, this tweet was posted in jest, but Patitucci has a point. Plenty of folks might foolishly take cover behind a ladder if it's the last available line of defense out of survival instinct, but showing a kid having a phone number memorized who was born after the death of landlines? Yeah, that's definitely more unrealistic. Movies like "Extraction 2" are as deep as a viewer wants them to be, and it would be beneficial if folks remembered that sometimes a choice in a movie isn't trying to serve as a survival guide.
As John Woo, the patron saint of practical action cinema famously said, "Logic is very boring."