Sam Hargrave has become a household name in Hollywood thanks to his stunt work and fight choreography on numerous blockbusters (including two Avengers movies, The Hunger Games, Suicide Squad, and Atomic Blonde). But his directorial debut, Extraction, showcased the Aussie actor’s talents. He’s just delivered a thrilling sequel that proved he is a director genre junkies can trust. Hemsworth, who stars as Tyler Rake in the new film, was recently in Manila for the Asia-Pacific premiere of the action film, where he sat down with Hargrave to discuss the movie.
It’s no surprise that the pair hit it off so well, given the closeness they’ve shared on various projects over the years. Hargrave describes himself as “a big fan of Hemsworth’s.” “He’s one of the last great action heroes,” he says. “On so many levels, he’s just built like a Norse god, but he also has this dry sense of humor, this great gravelly voice, and this emotional vulnerability.”
Hemsworth’s performance as the rugged mercenary in Extraction is just as impressive as ever. The movie is fast-paced and frantic, making the 2-hour runtime go by quickly as it keeps you on the edge of your seat. It does an excellent job of avoiding the tropes of most revenge films, avoiding overly sentimental moments, and focusing solely on the action. This makes it all the more satisfying when the finale arrives, and Hemsworth takes care of business.
As a director, Hargrave has pushed himself to raise the bar for his latest film. The movie boasts a game-changing 12-minute-long action sequence that is made to look like one continuous shot. Pulling off took a ton of time and effort, but the payoff is worth it. “I think Joe [Murphy] realized after the success of the first movie that the language of these long shots is something that people respond to, so he was pretty generous in letting me and my team dig in and make this thing something special,” he tells Men’s Health.
When asked about the challenge of directing a film where the main character is forced to crawl under cars, the stunt director admits that it was “a tough shot” but adds that Hemsworth was up for it. “He’s one of the best actors I’ve ever worked with, and he always brings so much to every scene,” he says.
The two are reunited for the upcoming sequel to the 2020 original, which is set to arrive on Netflix in June. The trailer shows Hemsworth stepping up his game as the tough-talking mercenary, and it looks like he’s ready to take on anything. The sequel will follow Hemsworth’s character on a dangerous mission to rescue the battered family of a Georgian drug lord. Check it out below. The new trailer will excite you for the next chapter of the Extraction story! Until then, you can catch the action-packed first film on Netflix.