Extraction   Starring: Kellan Lutz, Bruce Willis, Gina Carano, D. B. Sweeney, Dan Bilzerian and Steve Coulter Distributor: Kaleidoscope Home Entertainment RRP: £17.99 KAL8488 5060192816440 Certificate: 15 Release Date: 14 March 2016

Both Harry Turner and his father, Leonard, are CIA operatives. Leonard works in the field, whereas Harry is stuck in an office denied a field posting. Not really surprising as he is not exactly the macho type. When Leonard disappears during a mission, Harry starts his own unsanctioned operation to get his father back...

Extraction (2015. 1 hr, 28 min, 07 sec) is an action thriller directed by Steven C. Miller from a script by Max Adams and Umair Aleem. The film was a direct to video production. With the changing economics of film making straight to video is not always the mark of a poor film, unfortunately in this case it is exactly that.

Although much is made of Bruce Willis’s involvement, his role as Leonard is quite small, with most of the acting being taken by Kellan Lutz as Harry and Gina Carano as Victoria as they both go looking for Leonard and a device called Condor.

What follows is part road movie, part transitional story with Harry becoming a badass and a movie where unrealistic fights happen with crashing inevitability. I might not turn this over if it were on the TV, mostly because I’m a very lazy person, but I’m not sure that I would pay to see it.

It’s difficult to pin down just why this does not work. The story is relatively bland and obvious, but that could have been saved by either great direction or acting neither of which appear here. The actors who have shone in other projects seem to be posting their performances in, even Willis’s Leonard is a one dimensional character. It’s a real paint-by-numbers affair with everyone putting just the minimum to get their paycheck

The disc contains nothing in the way of extras; you get two audio options DD 5.1 or DD 2.0, and no subtitles. The film is presented with a widescreen 2.35:1 anamorphic picture.

4

Charles Packer