Extraction is a movie about a mercenary assigned to rescue the son of an Indian drug lord kidnapped and held captive in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The mercenary, Tyler Rake (Chris Hemsworth), fights off countless villains to get his charge to safety. And while the action sequences are superb, most people question if there were any authentic martial arts involved.
The martial arts used in the Netflix Extraction movie included elements of Muay Thai, Krav Maga, boxing, and wrestling. Additionally, Tyler Rake is also seen using a weapon that is popular in the Indonesian martial art form of Silat.
While the cast of Extraction isn’t made up of martial artists, director Sam Hargrave recreated pretty realistic fight scenes with what he had. In this article, we’ll explore the various martial art elements that went into Extraction. Read on to learn more about the martial arts featured in this Netflix movie!
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It’s Not All Martial Arts
The movie Extraction is similar to an Indonesian film, ‘The Raid’, in both premise and the excessive action-packed sequences squeezed into every imaginable scene. The only difference is that while Extraction had well-choreographed fight scenes, the entire cast of The Raid was Silat practitioners, lending a more realistic style to all the techniques you see in the film.
So, while the fight scenes in Extraction are gripping and will have you at the edge of your seat, many of them are choreographed without using proper martial arts skills and techniques. A significant portion of the film involves Tyler gunning down his enemies without ceremony. Unfortunately, this doesn’t actually qualify as martial arts.
And when the mercenary must use his fists, the job is quick and without much of the flash and bang that characterize typical martial arts movies. In fact, there are moments where Tyler uses elements in his environment to ramp up the action, even employing a coffee mug in one scene to knock one of his opponents senseless.
Some Scenes Are Legit Though
While most of the fights in this movie conclude pretty quickly, with Tyler usually knocking out his opponents in a few swift moves, there are some parts where you can observe proper martial arts techniques in motion.
In fact, martial arts enthusiasts who pay close attention to the action sequences should be able to follow some of the movements and identify the technique being employed.
The protagonist, Tyler Rake, is played by Chris Hemsworth, known for actively practicing Muay Thai and boxing as a part of his fitness routine. Chris is dedicated to keeping his body light and active, and these martial art forms are an essential part of his training to play Thor.
So while there aren’t any specific Muay Thai or boxing fights in the film, you can see the elements of these art forms naturally play themselves out during the action sequences. Sure, the movement might be choreographed, but Chris’ training allows him to move his body with the technique and precision of an avid practitioner.
The actor also claimed that he underwent a grueling training schedule leading up to the film, a part of which involved boxing in developing his upper body. The additional martial arts training adds to the dynamism of the movie.
Another interesting detail in the film hints at the use of a specific martial art form. You’ll notice that Tyler Rake uses a special knife during certain fight scenes. This weapon is known as a karambit and is a popular Indonesian weapon used in the martial art form of Silat.
The Raid series popularized this weapon and its reappearance in Extraction hints that elements of Silat were used in some of the action sequences. And while there’s no proof that any specific martial art form was used, it’s evident that various techniques have been interwoven throughout the film, giving the movie the look and dynamism of a martial arts film.
Final Thoughts
Extraction may not be a ‘martial art’ film, and practitioners of Muay Thai, boxing, Krav Maga, and other martial artists might feel a bit cheated in this respect. However, the movie isn’t completely devoid of martial arts elements either. You’ll find plenty of scenes where you’re sure to identify a few fundamental movements that belong to specific martial arts.
Aside from the fact that there’s no specific martial art in the film, Extraction is an action-packed adventure sure to get you fired up and ready to pound the nearest punching bag.
