Tag Archives: Gareth Evans

Extraction (2020): Action Without Interest

He may be a star in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but Chris Hemsworth (Thor) has had mixed results outside of it. Extraction is his chance to prove himself as a true action lead. He plays Tyler Rake, a mercenary hired to extract a kidnapped gang leader’s  son from Dhaka, Bangladesh. He is supported by his handler Golshifteh Farahani (About Elly) and faces enormous obstacles as the city’s police are under the control of a rival crime lord. To his credit, Hemsworth has a believable physicality as he fights through dozens of goons. His performance, as usual, shows few emotions. This is partly due to how his character is written, but part of it is also his own limited acting ability.

The director, Sam Hargrave, knows his action. This may be his first film, but he comes from the same background as other stuntmen-turned-directors like David Leitch and Chad Stahelski (John Wick) and is best known for his work as stunt coordinator on the latest Avengers movies for directors Anthony and Joe Russo, who also produced this movie. Because of this pedigree, it’s tempting to describe the style of action as John Wick in Bangladesh, but Hargrave seems directly inspired by the work of Gareth Evans in The Raid series. Instead of the comparatively steady camerawork from John Wick,he uses Evans’s more unstable camera and accentuates it to mixed results. The action is typically in clear view, but the constantly wavering camera can be distracting rather than immersive. In its worst moments, the cinematography is even a bit nauseating.

The relationship between Rake and the boy isn’t effective enough to ground the movie.

Shakiness aside, there are still some great set pieces. Chief among them is an extended sequence of Rake attempting to flee Dhaka with the boy. Hargrave stitches together several scenes to create what appears like one unbroken shot. The technical craft is incredibly impressive as the camera seamlessly moves from the street and repeatedly into and out of moving vehicles. This builds the tension of the car chase as the leads weave through the crowded, narrow streets and dodge pursuing vehicles. However, this scene, despite its strong craft, runs too long. The problem is escalation. As the scene continues, the action doesn’t  necessarily surpass what preceded it and the tension begins to deflate.

The film knows what it is, a bare bones action film, and has no greater ambitions. There is very little story beyond the setup. Rake is hinted at having emotional baggage related to a wife or child no longer in his life and lives by himself popping pain pills and drinking heavily. In a line of clumsy dialogue, a character tells the audience that Rake is borderline suicidal. During the course of the rescue, he forms a bond with the boy which is meant to endear him to the audience, but this is mostly unsuccessful. The narrative offers little, if any, emotional investment in the characters or their safety. Without it, even the expertly constructed action wears thin. The movie runs out of steam well before the credits roll and the final shootouts are more tiring than climactic and the intended emotional moments have minimal impact. It deserves praise for its intricate choreography but Extraction never creates enough emotional stakes to hold the audience’s interest.

3/5 stars.

Apostle (2018): A Better, Modern Wicker Man

After receiving a desperate letter from his younger sister explaining that she has been taken captive by a cult on a remote island, Thomas (Dan Stevens; The Guest) is forced to join the cult in an attempt to save her. He has been dealing with his own personal issues after traumatic events left him in a mental breakdown but must put his needs aside to help the one person in his family that always believed in him. He ventures to the island to find it led by a charismatic “Prophet” named Malcolm (Michael Sheen; Midnight in Paris) who claims to be the voice of the island’s god, a being referred to only as The Lady. The film marks the English language debut of Gareth Evans best known for writing and directing the incredible Indonesian action series The Raid.

Apostle relies on drab visuals to represent the cult’s condition. The island has been developed with houses, churches, and farmland, but nothing in the production design communicates levity or joy. The cast almost exclusively wears cool, dark colors favoring muted blues, browns, and blacks. Buildings look worn from inclement weather and every daytime scene takes place under heavily overcast skies. The few characters that show signs of positive emotions soon face events that remove their happiness making for a downtrodden, gloomy community.

Thomas’s constant unease extends to the audience.

Evans successfully moves in a new direction, which may disappoint some. Fans of The Raid series looking for a continuation of the kinetic martial arts, will not be satisfied here. The film is closer to the thriller genre and relies more on tension and mystery than action. There are a few action scenes and their swift brutality reminds of Evans’s previous work, but they are few in number. The tension is created by Thomas’s infiltration of the cult. The severe consequences of being deemed a traitor or “blasphemer” are established early which makes every decision potentially lethal. Stevens displays the constant unease of the situation and appears to be looking over his shoulder at every opportunity. There are also questions surrounding the group’s unusual rituals and beliefs that may have some supernatural basis that further raise the stakes on Thomas’s mission and deepen the mystery.

The film feels like a modern, violent update to The Wicker Man. It also features a man going to save a young woman from a religious group living in isolation on an island, but Apostle takes the premise much further. It doesn’t immediately condemn people for having their own beliefs, but it also points out their moral inconsistencies. It delves into the fine line between speaking the good word and becoming a demagogue and shows how easily someone can shift between the two. Malcolm founded the community with idealist beliefs but, on the verge of famine, he has turned to kidnapping an innocent woman for ransom money. The struggles he faces test his rectitude and willingness to compromise. Other leaders are less steadfast and, while preaching virtues to others, violate them when personal issues arise. Exploring the drastic consequences of making small concessions to personal beliefs gives Apostle moral complexity to bolster its taut mystery.

4/5 stars.