John Wick has become one of the most successful action franchises in recent times with the latest installment, John Wick: Chapter 4, being the most critically and financially successful to date. It is a unique franchise that originated from an original concept and offered Keanu Reeves the role of his career.
Each of the four films directed by Chad Stahelski has been equally impressive, with exceptional stunt work and practical choreography making them stand out. Reeves has put in a lot of effort to make this franchise a success, but it seems that John Wick: Chapter 4 may be the final adventure for him as the character.
Why the Extraction Franchise Isn’t the Next John Wick
Although the franchise will continue with the spinoff film Ballerina starring Ana De Armas, there is no guarantee it will be as successful, given that it is from the director of the Underworld franchise.
Netflix has attempted to emulate the success of John Wick with the Extraction franchise directed by Sam Hargrave, starring Chris Hemsworth as an assassin named Tyler Rake. While Extraction 2 has high expectations, the first film did not set up the same parameters for success. The John Wick franchise incorporates different fighting styles from around the world, giving it a global appeal. In contrast, Extraction seems like a solid version of the action movies popular in the 80s and 90s, drawing from the same influences.
The John Wick franchise has also done an excellent job of bringing in international performers who represent different subgenres of action. John Wick: Chapter 4 featured performances from Scott Adkins, Hiroyuki Sanada, Clancy Brown, and Donnie Yen, each representing a different subgenre of action filmmaking. The franchise has more sword combat than any previous installment in the series, making it unique.
While Extraction has a few memorable set-pieces, it lacks the elegance and poetic tragedy that make John Wick stand out. Reeves delivers the performance of his career in the franchise, playing a wounded man trying to live past a lifetime of sin. The death of his wife deeply wounds him, turning him into a shadow of the remorseless man he once was. In contrast, Extraction’s lead character, Tyler Rake, feels like a caricature than an actual tragic hero despite the time dedicated to setting up the death of his son as a motivating factor. None of the villains in Extraction represent a true threat to Hemsworth, making them forgettable.
In conclusion, the John Wick franchise stands out due to its unique concept, exceptional stunt work, practical choreography, and international performers who represent different subgenres of action filmmaking. While Extraction attempts to emulate the success of John Wick, it fails to achieve the same level of success due to its lack of elegance and poetic tragedy, and forgettable villains.
John Wick has become one of the most successful modern action franchises, with 2023’s John Wick: Chapter 4 proving to be the most financially and critically successful entry in the franchise thus far. John Wick is a unique action franchise, as it was an original concept that seemingly came out of nowhere and gave Keanu Reeves the role of his career. Each of the four films directed by Chad Stahelski has been almost equal in quality, and each of the films has stood out due to incredible stunt work and practical choreography. The work that Reeves has put into the series has helped make it stand out, but unfortunately, it seems like John Wick: Chapter 4 may have been his last adventure as the character.
While there will be more of the franchise in the future thanks to the spinoff feature film Ballerina starring Ana De Armas, there’s no guarantee that a spinoff on a different character from the director of the Underworld franchise will be any good. So, what action franchise will fill the John Wick-sized void in the cinematic marketplace? Netflix has attempted to emulate the success of John Wick with the Extraction franchise from director Sam Hargrave, which stars Chris Hemsworth as a similar assassin named Tyler Rake. While expectations are high for Extraction 2the first film didn’t set up the same parameters for success. Here’s why Extraction isn’t the next John Wick.
John Wick Has the International Inspirations
One of the unique aspects of the John Wick franchise has been the influence of different fighting styles from around the world, which gives the series a very global quality. Similar to John Wick directors Stahelski and David Leitch, Extraction’s Hargrave is also a former stuntman that worked with his signature star prior to becoming his director. However, it was Stahelski and Leitch’s reverence for the martial arts, gunplay, and kung fu of different countries that made their films so unique.
John Wick incorporates the influence of Reeves’ Matrix films, the Asian action cinema of Jackie Chan and Jet Li, the neo-noir style of films like Drive and Taxi Driver, and even Lawrence of Arabia. Comparatively, Extraction just seems like a really solid version of the type of action movies that were popular in the 80s and 90s. While it’s certainly more entertaining than a lot of other films that have homaged the work of Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, and Arnold Schwarzeneggar, it feels less exciting considering that it’s drawing from a lot of the same influences.
Additionally, the John Wick franchise has done a lot to bring in international performers who represent different subgenres of action. John Wick: Chapter 4 featured side performances from Scott Adkins, Hiroyuki Sanada, Clancy Brown, and Donnie Yen, each of whom represent a different subgenre of action filmmaking. Adkins has appeared in the increasingly popular VOD market, which has been surprisingly innovative thanks to the genre-bending Universal Soldier sequels. Yen is a legend of the martial arts genre whose work in the Ip Man series has a clear influence on the John Wick films; similarly, Sanada starred in historical epic The Last Samuraiwhich explores themes of nobility that are also relevant in the John Wick series. Brown is a great character actor, and he’s perhaps best known for his swordplay in The Highlander; as a result it makes sense that John Wick: Chapter 4 has more sword combat than any previous installment in the series.
Spectacle Isn’t Elegance
There’s a fundamental difference between being a “great action movie” and simply having memorable action sequences. Like many other Netflix action films, Extraction certainly has a few memorable set-pieces, including a prolonged tracking shot that features Hemsworth pushing his body to the limit of its abilities. The trailer for Extraction 2 certainly indicates that the sequel will feature even more incredible moments, even if they don’t hold a candle to some of the most amazing moments in the John Wick franchise such as the mirror sequence in John Wick: Chapter 2 or the horse-riding combat scene in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
However, the main difference is that John Wick is a poetic tragedy, while the story of Extraction is entirely forgettable. Reeves gives the performance of his career in the franchise, as he’s playing a wounded man that is trying to live past a lifetime of sin. The death of his wife deeply wounds him, and turns him into a shadow of the remorseless man he once was. While the notion of Wick going on a campaign of vengeance against the men who killed his dog was initially dismissed as a joke, it becomes clear that his bloodlust is about much more than that. He is still in the process of grieving, something that is even more powerful considering the actual tragedies in Reeves’ life.
By comparison, Extraction’s lead character is even named something comical; it feels like the idea of having a hero named Tyler Rake that kills someone with a rake was a joke that someone on Netflix’s marketing department came up with. While there is some time dedicated to setting up the death of his son as a motivating factor, Rake feels more like a caricature than an actual tragic hero.
Extraction Doesn’t Have Standout Villains
The main issue with Extraction is that none of the villains represent a true threat to Hemsworth; it doesn’t seem like any of the thugs that Rake faces off against are anything more than interchangeable, faceless goons that he can easily dispatch with. The only moment in the first film that adds anything distinguishing is a brief appearance by David Harbour, who is quickly killed off. Comparatively, each installment in the John Wick franchise has featured an interesting villain that tests John in a different way. The performances by Alfie Allen, Common, Mark Dacascos, and Bill Skarsgård have really elevated the roles, giving Wick challenges that are both physical and mentally stimulating.
