The Most Confusing Moments In Extraction 2
"Extraction 2," the long-awaited sequel to Netflix's hit 2020 action film, is finally out. "Extraction" was one of the most-watched films of 2020 for Netflix, with critics highlighting its spectacularly gritty action sequences and protagonist Tyler Rake's poignant characterization as a jaded and grieving mercenary. Rake was also Chris Hemsworth's next breakthrough role after Thor, with his physical prowess and action competence garnering well-deserved comparisons with Keanu Reeves' John Wick.
Much like the "John Wick" series, whose action excels from director Chad Stahelski's experience as a veteran stuntman, "Extraction" filmmaker, Sam Hargrave, has had ample experience as a stunt coordinator that helped elevate the action sequences of his directorial film to another level. Hargrave returns with screenwriter Joe Russo in this sequel that delivers a good dose of extra-action (pun intended) and tops the first film in many ways — including a 21-minute long single-take action sequence that terrified Hemsworth to film.
"Extraction 2" follows Rake on his new job: to rescue his sister-in-law and her children from a Georgian prison as they are chased by her husband's mafia cartel. The first film left some unresolved questions from fans hoping that the sequel would answer, which it does to an extent — diving deeper into Rake's past through the introduction of his ex-wife, Mia (Olga Kurylenko). However, the sequel itself isn't void of creating some confusion of its own about certain plot and character elements. Follow us as we attempt to explain some of the most confusing moments in "Extraction 2." Warning: spoilers ahead.
How long after the first movie does Extraction 2 take place?
At the end of "Extraction," eight months had passed since Rake's apparent death in Dhaka, with his teammate, Nik (Golshifteh Farahani), avenging him by assassinating drug kingpin, Amir Asif (Priyanshu Painyuli), and Ovi (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) back home in Mumbai spotting a figure that looked a lot like him. While "Extraction 2" picks up right after Rake's "death," the main plot kicks in nine months after the events of the first film, with Rake being in a coma through most of it in a hospital in Dubai, UAE.
The entirety of the film's first act is devoted to Rake's recuperation from his fatal injuries, including his physical recovery and faux retirement, given the narrative need to make his survival more plausible rather than have him immediately up and ready for another adventure after having received a bullet in the neck. Even though "Extraction 2" was greenlit within a few days after the first film's release in April 2020, it took the sequel three years to come out, largely owing to delays and restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and logistical hurdles faced by the filmmakers in executing the complex and ambitious action sequences of the film.
How did Rake survive the ending of the first movie?
The mystery around Rake's fate at the end of "Extraction" generated a lot of buzz among audiences. A quick recap: by the end of the first film's climax in Dhaka, Rake was pretty badly wounded by the exhaustive fight to get Ovi (Rudhraksh Jaiswal) to the other side of the bridge, where Nik (Golshifteh Farahani) and her team waited to receive the two. When it seemed that Rake would make it after all, he's shot in the neck by a teen soldier, after which he falls off the bridge to his apparent death.
In the opening of "Extraction 2," a nearly-dead Rake is found by his team at the bank of the river he fell into and is flown to Dubai, UAE, where he receives medical attention and is kept on life support until he wakes up from his coma after nine months. Even after physical therapy, he's left considerably weakened and frail, even needing a cane to walk. However, a training montage spanning six weeks is enough for Rake to recuperate back to his prime for a mission offered by the Man in the Suit (Idris Elba).
Interestingly, "Ciudad," the original comic that "Extraction" was adapted from, had Rake survive and end up in an Argentinian hospital at the end. Numerous behind-the-scenes debates were held about Rake's fate at the end of "Extraction," which is why the film ended on a note of ambiguity about his fate. Ultimately, the positive reception to "Extraction" ensured that Rake would live on for a sequel.
Why did Mia hire the Man in the Suit to, in turn, hire Rake?
The Man in the Suit offers the seemingly-retired Rake a job, who accepts after being told that it's been offered by his ex-wife, Mia. The job is to extract Mia's sister and her children from a Georgian jail and rescue her from her criminal husband. Questions could be raised about why Mia didn't directly approach Rake to rescue her sister from the prison, for which the possible answer could be that Mia still hadn't forgiven him for walking out on their family at the time of their son's death, and simply seeing his face would've resurfaced Mia's past traumas and her resentment towards her ex-husband.
Another question is, how exactly did Mia hire the Man in the Suit? His enigmatic presence alludes to him being influential and commanding, and the fact that Mia could contact and hire such an individual indicates that she herself may have connections in the black market and enough financial resources to reach the Man in the Suit. After all, she did help broker a deal with the United States government to place her sister and children in witness protection at the end of the film, so there's no doubt about her capabilities in her own right.
How long has it been since the death of Rake's son?
The off-screen death of Rake's toddler son was a major motivator for him to go above and beyond in saving Ovi, the teenager he was assigned to extract in "Extraction." It's also the reason why Rake doesn't kill the underaged soldiers as compared to other black market professionals. Halfway through "Extraction," Rake opens up about his persistent grief over his son's death, caused by lymphoma, and his regret over voluntarily going away for duty at the time of his death. This begs the question: how long has Rake been holding on to his grief and regret before the events of "Extraction"?
In the first film, Rake tells Ovi that his son was six at the time of his death. Halfway through the sequel, when Rake has a one-on-one with his adolescent nephew, Sandro (Andro Jafaridze), he mentions that Sandro and his son once played together when they were kids and that his son "would've been as old" as Sandro is today. Given that Sandro seems to be at least 13 or 14 years old, the timeline of Rake's son's death could be placed at least six to seven years prior to the first film.
That span gives enough time for the other events in Rake's life to take place between his son's death and the events of "Extraction," including his separation and divorce from Mia, his entry into the black-market mercenary industry, his acquaintance with Nik, and the two executing enough jobs to establish a reputation among their peers.
Who are the Nagazi?
The Nagazi cartel, operated by brothers Zurab (Tornike Gogrichian) and Davit Radiani (Tornike Bziava), reigns supreme in Georgia, having risen to power through their drug and weapons business to the extent of commanding a literal army of extremely loyal soldiers, not to mention having most, if not all, of the government officials and politicians of Georgia in their pockets. Note the similarities to Amir Asif in the first film, who also had most of the Bangladeshi government on his side However, U.S. intervention into the Nagazi cartel's dealings complicated matters, resulting in Davit killing a DEA agent.
This incident caused American authorities to increase their pressure on the corrupt Georgian officials owned by the brothers, including the Governor, who contested Davit's extradition to the U.S. and allowed him to stay in Tkachiri Prison in Georgia with his wife and children. Davit's protective elder brother had no choice but to wait for Davit to finish his sentence, but later found that the Governor signed off on extending Davit's sentence by 10 years. Despite the Governor's pleading that the Americans gave him no choice, an angered Zurab murdered the Governor in cold blood.
Rake had long known the brothers through his then-wife Mia, whose sister, Ketevan (Tinatin Dalakishvili), is married to Davit. However, when Rake last saw the brothers eight years prior to the events of "Extraction 2," they had been operating petty crimes on the street level and weren't as formidable of a threat as they proved to be in the film.
Why didn't Rake tell Nik about the mission being personal to him?
Despite their professional rapport spanning many years, Rake chose not to tell Nik about the extraction mission in Georgia being connected to his ex-wife's family, instead treating it like a regular black ops assignment that he's received from a third party. When Nik finds out about Rake's connection with the family he's extracted, she understandably gets offended and later confronts him on the same.
Nik insists that she wants Rake's trust, indicating that he didn't trust her enough to give her the full deets on the operation. Additionally, Rake believed that Nik would reject the mission had he said it was personal for him, which Nik affirms is the opposite. In a business where it's more common to be backstabbed, it's a rarity for two individuals to care for each other enough to refuse to give up on the other in life-threatening moments.
However, Rake's trust issues aren't completely unjustified, given that he had been betrayed by former teammate Gaspar, (David Harbour), in the first film, someone whom he considered a good friend. When Rake and Ovi — both on the run from local authorities and Amir Asif's men — were given shelter by Gaspar, Gaspar revealed that he had been offered $10 million in exchange for Ovi's life, and tried to convince Rake into giving up Ovi. He refused, leading to a fight where Gaspar was about to kill Rake before being fatally shot by Ovi.
Why did Sandro snitch on his family and Rake?
Audiences would immediately find Sandro to be an annoyance, given that he's the reason why the conflict in the film escalates in the second half of "Extraction 2." Sandro uses a phone left by Yaz (Adam Bessa) to communicate with his uncle Zurab, who seeks vengeance against Rake for killing his brother and rescuing Ketevan and her children (including Sandro) from the prison they were kept in. Sandro informs Zurab of their current whereabouts in Vienna, and Zurab brings an entire army there, resulting in a long-drawn fight that ends with Yaz's death and Sandro in Zurab's hands.
It is important to note that Sandro has essentially been indoctrinated by his father and his uncle into believing that his life stands only to serve the Nagazi cartel, who are his "family." As Rake tries to convince the young man that he should side with his mother amidst this turmoil, Sandro comes to repent his choices and is at odds with himself over whose side he belongs to throughout the film. Sandro is established to be a conflicted teenager stuck in an unforgivingly violent situation, another example in the series' thematic commentary of ruthless mafia and gang lords recruiting and manipulating underage characters into doing their bidding — no matter how vile and cruel those biddings may be.
Who is the Man in the Suit?
The enigmatic Man in the Suit appears in a big cameo role that could've been a surprising treat to viewers had Idris Elba's involvement not been spoiled by the film's marketing merely days before its release. The character only appears in two scenes — one in the first act, to give Rake the extraction mission on behalf of his ex-wife, and then in the final scene where he releases Rake and Nik from prison and indicates working for a very powerful and far-reaching figure. As the ending of "Extraction 2" teases, the Man in the Suit is definitely going to pop up in a greater capacity in the upcoming threequel.
"Extraction 2" reunites Elba with Chris Hemsworth from the "Thor” films, where the former plays Heimdall, the gatekeeper of Thor's homeworld, Asgard. "Extraction 2" director Sam Hargrave told GamesRader+ about adding the new character, "We were very interested in the potential of expanding the Extraction universe and also wanting to surround Tyler Rake with really charismatic and unique actors who challenge him in different ways ... [Man in the Suit] really does bring out a different side to Tyler Rake. He behaves differently in his presence compared to other characters' presence."
Hargrave further talked about casting Elba in the sequel: "But that was just the character on paper ... When you can embody that in someone as talented and charismatic as Idris Elba, then you've got a dynamite scenario. And putting those two on screen together, that chemistry is very palpable."
Does Rake ever go back to Mumbai to meet Ovi?
The ending scene of the first film shows Ovi emerging from a swimming pool in Mumbai to see a blurry figure whose physical build heavily resembles that of Rake. This scene sparked debates among fans about whether Rake was truly dead or not. With "Extraction 2," it's now obvious that Rake lived, but the timeline doesn't make sense with respect to the first film's ending. In the sequel, Rake wakes up from his coma nine months after his "death," and the plot kicks in immediately after his recovery. He does not go to Mumbai at any point in the film, which begs the question: who was the mysterious figure in the first film that conjured in front of Ovi?
The mystery figure was unmistakably meant by the filmmakers to be Rake, but it seems they may have written themselves in a corner, given that the sequel's breakneck plot moves at such a rapid speed that leaves no room to justify the first film's ending. Given how instrumental Ovi was in helping Rake overcome his jadedness in "Extraction," the character's absence from the sequel would raise eyebrows, for which audiences can only hope that Ovi would at least be alluded to, if not appear in the flesh, in the third movie.
Who is the employer of the Man in the Suit teased at the end?
The ending of "Extraction 2" sees Rake and Nik imprisoned after Austrian authorities find them with a deceased Zurab. However, it seems that Rake is fated neither for death nor for imprisonment, as he finds himself freed under a mysterious circumstance. He's taken to an unspecified location, where Rake is met by the Man in the Suit, who tells him that his and Nik's freedom from prison is granted on the condition that they accept a job his employer offers. The man tells Rake that he works for a "gnarly motherf*****" whom Rake is "gonna love."
It goes without saying that this mystery character would be an integral part of the third film in whatever capacity they appear — be it as an employer, an antagonist, or both. Given that even Idris Elba's character is a complete enigma by himself, whose name isn't revealed in the film (only named "Man in the Suit" in promotional materials), there's no easy way to decipher or theorize who his employer could be.
A powerful mafia leader? An individual deeply connected to the government and involved in an international conspiracy that goes all the way to the top? The possibilities are endless as we can only let our imagination wander till any official announcement unveils this character's mystery in the near future.
What's next for Rake, Nik, and the franchise?
In an era where most studios desperately try (and fail) to launch their own cinematic worlds to match the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it should be no surprise that the Russo brothers — best known for directing "Avengers: Endgame," the epic culmination of the MCU's Infinity Saga — would want to establish a new shared universe of their own.
In 2020, when asked during a CCXP panel about where the "Extraction" franchise is headed, screenwriter and co-producer Joe Russo answered, "We are working at building out a universe of films that could potentially explore some of the other characters from the first movie and some new characters, and see more historical interaction between the characters. So if you're interested in David Harbour's character, you just may get to see him in a future Extraction movie."
Idris Elba's casting could just be the first in a series of A-list actors brought in to play characters in their own spin-offs, as director Sam Hargrave teased the addition of new characters in the "Extraction" universe to "challenge" Rake (via GamesRadar+). Given where "Extraction 2" ends, with Rake and Nik fresh out of prison and offered a job by the unknown employer of the "Man in the Suit," a third film is warranted to cap off a trilogy. It remains to be seen how Rake and Nik's next mission would connect with their overarching story, and who are the next set of new and exciting characters waiting to be introduced.