By TIM DAVID HARVEY
(For the latest scene of #FilmsForFridays' new feature, #SceneStealing-were we breakdown the best scenes in films in more detail-we go toe-to-toe and all sorts of arms with the mighty God of Thunder, Thor's Chris Hemsworth. For his epic, 12 minute one shot of avenging action in the Russo Brothers produced, biggest hit and latest Netflix 'Extraction'. WARNING: Specific scene spoilers follow.)
"For f###s sake!"
Me and my friend back home have a running joke about how quotable 'Avengers' and 'Men In Black' international star, Australia's own Chris Hemsworth is. Not actually for what he says...but how he says it. From asking if someone's phone in Michael Mann's 'Blackhat' is an android (O.K. that's a little inside joke about how s### my mobile phones was until he handed me down his old model), to every other thing he says in Ron Howard's 'Rush' as James Hunt ("it rhymes with...#insert car horn#"). And when it comes to the 'Love and Thunder' of the Mighty Thor's latest big picture on the small screens of Netflix, co-signed by the producing Russo Brothers (like the 'Black Panther' Chadwick Boseman with the New York City cops of '21 Bridges'), in 'Extraction' you definitly have your share for your meme and GIF sharing trend. "Piss off you little s###!" Who would have thought that in the middle of the day here in Japan, isolated socially I would send a video of the latest one to the same friend back home who had literally just finished watching it as he got the message, before bravely going back to work as an essential member of the workforce? "For f###s sake," Chris says hilariously as his human sat nav corrects him and he ends up in a dead end like Steve Carell in 'The Office' bearing right, right into a lake. "No, no, no left...left! You just passed it!" Now you may sit here and ask yourself, "is this guy really writing another article about 'Extraction' based on the way Hemsworth say's, "for f###'s sake""? Simply put, the answer is yes. I don't know what to tell you. And why the f### not? Not only is 'Extraction' the biggest, albeit seemingly only movie out right now. It's so big, it's one of streaming service's biggest opening movies ever. Which is crazy even in these times when all people are doing is Netflix with no chill. So much so the Russo's and Co are already planning a sequel (which erm...seems strange), looking at 'Triple Frontier' and 'Operation Finale' star Oscar Isaac as the villain (and I am all in on that annihilation). But for f### sake it's not just for that sole reason. From McConaughey's "alright, alright, let's get out the hood" scene from 'True Detective', to every season in 'Daredevil' upping the ante to a prison break (and who could forget the whole of Sam Mendes' '1917' movie...apparently the Academy), 'Extraction' has one of the most epic one-shots in the cinematic canon. Stealing the movie-let alone a 10 minute plus scene-this feature was made for moments like this in a continuous take.
Blowing smoke in his face, Hemsworth has already almost broken someone's hand with a gun in his face, as his hero for hire's job is to extract a drug lords son (a breakout Rudhraksh Jaiswal) and get him the hell out of dodge and to the safe Harbour of a 'Stranger Thing's' Hopper house. And this is were director and former Marvel stuntman Sam Hargrave gets to have fun like Keanu Reeves former 'Matrix' stunt double dodging bullets in 'John Wick'. And if you thought that was impressive just wait until you behind the scenes see how close Hargrave gets to the action, literally riding shotgun. They have a chance to get to the chopper out this forest for the new Arnold Schwarzenegger, but then the 'Predator' of a scene stealing Randeep Hooda comes out of his camouflage. "Listen! When I tell you to, you better run like hell. Or I'll kill you both. You understand", Hemsworth's Tyler Rake (if there ever was an 80's era action hero name) politely puts it to the kid. Not really asking a question as he launches a flash grenade like 'Call Of Duty' before they make their way to the kind of car you see pooled outside of your kids school. "GO...MOVE MATE!" Suppressed machine gun fire is exchanged and we're off to the races, as the camera follows the back of the car all the way to...a squad of police cars. I guess they're in on it too. Mirror, signal, handbreak turn the f### out of there. The young bounty of the boy Ovi reaches for the door handle. "Please let me go!" He angrily pleads, forgetting the "lord" that came after drug in his father's name. Hemsworth gets his 'Rush' on, pedal to metal. "The cops are in on it...look of you want to live you have to trust me." Something is f##### here as he puts it, before crashing through a gate as this scene really opens up this set pieces landscape. The kid buckles his seat belt for this bit of ride or die, fast and furious speedway. I guess he does trust him.
"For f###s sake!"
Smoke and bandits, with love to Burt Russell, an academy of police cars take each other out in a stunning pan around and the camera man STILL hasn't broke for lunch. Not even when Hemsworth makes the wrong turn like a horror and has time to mirror, signal and get the f### out of there again as he utters his now infamous line. Still what a way to combat comeback as he reverses, spins the wheel like the soldier of fortune he is, puts the kids head down and with his other hand off the steering blasts two dome shots into the "cops" on his tail...'Collateral' damage style, like the creed of Tom Cruise's cab cruising assassin. "DOWN!" These shots are so sniper precise they silence the siren. They're back on the road...if the road is full of stalls and shop workers that is. "I'm in survival mode" he declares, boxed in like we all are now, locked down with this movie. "I have my seatbelt on. You drive like you're insane," the kid confirms to Chris' next demand, before he "hold tight," totals his car and wipes out his windshield as we're really off to the races now. S.W.A.T. members ascend the stairs with the same cameraman like they were looking for Captain America and The Winter Soldier in 'Civil War' after Hooda falls out the front of his hood crumpled car. We have a few moments to catch our breath. I said a few right? Then we hear a pigeon clapping like Denzel Washington's Alonzo in 'Training Day' is coming and then King Kong ain't got s### on what comes next. Hemsworth disarms the soldier we pan across with...with a knife and then Crocodile Dundee's the hell out of his neck. That's not a death. It's the death that comes next as Chris finger to lips hushes a speechless Ovi before silencing everyone else. Getting his hand-to-hand, gun-fu on as the kid gets away, loses his vest and then finds Hemsworth's Rake again (it's worth at this point taking a break at this point and reminding you this is the same "Rake" who Sideshow Bob style took someone out with the same gardening implement a few scenes back...and made sure he was dead). Now getting up close and personal with rifles, shotguns and pistols oh my, this animal treats these arms like karate chops, before reloading his gun on his own bulletproof vest and showing someone they should have invested in one to protect their head and neck. They (plus the camera man. Have you never watched an extreme Bear Grylls show and thought, "this is impressive...but what about the guy doing all this AND lugging around all that camera equipment") make it to the rooftops. "Do you trust me?" Rake asks Ovi...again it's not really a question. "No!" the young man replies like Kevin Hart everytime The Rock suggests something "cool" in 'Central Intelligence'. Hemsworth throws him off the roof...a little of an extreme response if you ask me. "Good!"
Jumping to join him on the next rooftop like I do conclusions. Hemsworth descends the stairs to look for an exit. Even if it's right through someone's house. "Stay on my shoulder alright", he says as they end up on the shooting gallery of a balcony...and then Hooda out of nowhere comes back into play. I know he didn't have a car anymore but DAMN...did he go for lunch instead of the cameraman? Did he at least pick him up a sandwich? Because we are still on the same shot people, even if more actual gunshots have been exchange than the O.K. Corral. They tussle..."tussle" really isn't a strong enough word for this. If you "tussle" someone's hair, then this is like taking someone's head clean off. They fall of a roof barely, grazing the life support of the awning like a classic Jackie ("always OK") Chan stunt and then fall to the smooth landing of concrete. And then this is where it gets hard. The knives are out like Rian Johnson. You may have seen the meme where they super impose Keanu Reeves almost disrespectfully over the real scene stealing Hooda with the line, "Who wins? Tyler Rake or John Wick?" And at this point I'd like to remind everyone that they killed his f###### dog. Rake Charlie horse kicks Hooda into oblivion, before more people get run over than Brad Pitt does in that social shared 'Meet Joe Black' sort of spoiler (if you look back it means something...you didn't have your eyes on the road). Hood than executes (not exactly) the coolest, "I am f##### up, but I'm alright," get up before "saving" Obi from some soldiers and then meeting his own Joe Black courtesy of Chris. Hemsworth says a combination of "come on" and "hold on" for like the 19th times before the 20th person I've shown this one scene too asks, "is it still the same camera angle" ten minutes later. They speed off in the truck, hold the door open, bail like it was Grand Theft Auto under the cover of the darkness of a tunnel and then in a cloud of black smoke a gas station worth of petrol bombs everything away. Almost chopping a helicopter down for the last aerial shot above it all...and THEN the camera changes. THAT was the last shot. One shot? This should have been one paragraph. Finally! And this is still not the best moment of the movie ("run"). Extract that!
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