Directed by Chris C. Miller, Extraction opens with CIA field operative Leonard Turner, played by Bruce Willis. The scene is an important part of the story because the bad guys kill his wife, and he prevents his son from being killed as well.
The Father-and-Son Dynamic Explained
Next, we see his son Harry, played by Kellan Lutz, and it is ten years later. He followed his father’s footsteps and is a CIA agent. He is training under the keen guidance of Leonard’s best friend, Ken, played by D.B. Sweeney. Harry wants to be a field agent like his father, but keeps getting turned down. He is assigned to a project involving a top-secret piece of electronic equipment called CONDOR. It is pretty powerful and can control anything electric.
Inside the High-Risk Rescue Mission
Leonard is sent on a mission to purchase CONDOR and gets captured. Harry learns of it and wants to save his father, but is told to stand down. Harry figures out who captured his father, but the CIA says he isn’t strong enough to help save his father and send him home with an armed escort. Harry breaks away and sets his sights on saving his father.
Victoria Phipps, played by Gina Carano, is assigned to the case. She is one of the best field agents, and to make the story more interesting, she is Harry’s former lover. She lets him join her and help track down CONDOR, find his father, and take down the bad guys. Time is the key to pulling this all off, and they have to work fast. The story has some twists and turns, and confusion occurs when trying to figure out who the bad guys are and who the good guys are.
How Extraction Blends Espionage and Action
Seems like a pretty good action movie, but in all honesty, it isn’t that great. Technical glitches with the overall sound and vocals are disconcerting. The odd edits and jumps prevent the flow of the story. On top of that, I enjoy watching Carano do her action stuff, which I have seen in her other movies. She’s great, but in this movie, she doesn’t do much. I mean, she is a former MMA fighter. Let her show her stuff.
All in all, I really wanted to like this movie, but it started great, but didn’t hold its momentum.