The Guns And Tactics Of Extraction 2

Photo credit: Larry Horricks/Netflix

This summer, Netflix debuted Extraction 2, the sequel to their blockbuster action film Extraction from 2020. It features mega-star and Greek god Chris Hemsworth as Tyler Rake, an Australian special forces operator turned gun-for-hire. 

The film picks up exactly where the first one left off, with Rake barely surviving a ferocious gunfight in the final act. After recovering from his injuries, Rake accepts a redemptive mission to rescue the family of a brutal Georgian mobster. 

Rake’s teammates are a sibling duo, Nik and Yaz Khan, played by the stunning Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani and charismatic French-Tunisian actor Adam Bessa. The villain is Zurab Radiani, portrayed by Georgian actor Tornike Gogrichiani.

Extraction 2 is a particularly notable movie for the time we live in. It’s a pure, adrenaline-filled, exhilarating action film of the highest order. Harkening back to the enjoyable joy rides of decades ago, there’s no preaching or punching down to half of its potential audience. 

Instead, Extraction 2 is packed with artfully crafted action scenes, laid over a simple but compelling emotional arc for its characters. Not to mention the masterpiece of a 21-minute-long action sequence that appears to be a nonstop, single take.

Indeed, this resonated with the public at large — Extraction 2 was Netflix’s biggest movie premiere for 2023, racking up over 100 million views in its first three weeks alone.

But that’s not all. Sam Hargrave, the director of the Extraction films, cut his teeth as a stunt coordinator. 

He’s known for his attention to detail and gritty realism — at least in the context of a piece of entertainment. So in Extraction 2, we gun guys get to enjoy a slate of badass guns, weapons manipulation, and tactics. 

For the guns, Hargrave worked closely with Independent Studio Services to hand-select all the weapons used in the movie, even visiting ISS to test-fire guns. ISS is a full-service prop house, having made movie magic for over 40 years. 

Their main facility in California stretches across 17 acres, and ISS has over 1.5 million props and over 15,000 firearms at its disposal. Back in RECOIL Issue 18, we highlighted the guns ISS built for the American Sniper movie.

During pre-production, ISS suggested various weapon systems and configurations to fit the script and characters, adjusting and refining them based on Hargrave’s feedback. Note in particular the widespread use of suppressors as well as red dots on pistols for the protagonists, true connoisseurs. 

The production was originally slated to begin in Australia in late 2021. However, due to COVID-19 restrictions down under, it was moved to Prague, Czech Republic, for the bulk of the movie and Austria for the high-rise scenes. ISS built multiple copies of each gun, prepped them to fire blanks, and molded exact rubber facsimiles of them to use for stunts and in fight scenes. In the pages to follow, thanks to Karl Weschta and Joe Dantona at ISS, we detail the key guns used in the film and how they were kitted out.

Meanwhile, Craig “Chili” Palmer joined the production as the tactical coordinator. We spoke to Palmer about his contributions to the film. Palmer served in the U.S. Army for 25 years, starting in 1st Ranger Battalion, then the Regimental Reconnaissance Detachment (now RRC), instructing at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School, and finally spending 17 years in Delta Force before retiring in 2014. 

Through a mutual friend, he met a movie producer, Patrick Newall, and was brought onto the original Extraction set to advise on the final bridge sequence. While the choreography was already mostly set, Palmer was able to work with the cast to refine their weapons handling as well as add some nice touches, such as the Saju character switching between shooting right- and left-handed around vehicles.

This led to advising on The Gray Man with Ryan Gosling and Ana de Armas, as well as Extraction 2. Having joined the production earlier this time, Palmer was able to work with the stunt team on developing the fight sequences. He took the four main actors and stunt performers to a range in the Czech Republic for live-fire training. 

He also did lots of dry-fire training with them to work on weapons manipulation, maneuvering, use of cover and concealment, and so on. Palmer credits their uncanny ability as actors and athletes to quickly pick up and mimic how they’re supposed to behave. 

They made a point to show characters reloading, to avoid endless magazines, and to try to maintain muzzle awareness. The actors sometimes look over their sights while shooting, but overall they do an excellent job and come across as authentic. The end result is a master class in action done right.

To be clear, Extraction 2 is a fictional action movie. It’s not a documentary. From a technical perspective, you could nitpick a variety of gun- or tactics-related issues as you click frame-by-frame through the movie. From a medical perspective, you could question how these characters could possibly absorb that much physical abuse without expiring halfway through just one of the scenes in the movie. 

But this is entertainment, meant to take you on an e-ticket ride. So, suspend some disbelief, appreciate how much they got right, the honest effort they put into it, and the attention to detail — and let yourself have some fun. It’s definitely worth the watch. 

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