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In 2020 during the height of the pandemic, an action flick called Extraction came out, led by MCU alum Chris Hemsworth and directed by seasoned stunt coordinator Sam Hargrave. It was a success for Netflix, to say the least, as it currently sits at seventh place on the streamer's all-time “Most Popular Films (English)” list based on the viewing hours in the first 28 days on the streaming service with 231,340,000 hours watched.
A sequel was inevitable, and Extraction 2 upped the stakes and the one-shot sequence by featuring a 21-minute and seven-second-long sequence (as Hargrave told ClutchPoints). Should there be a third film — which is far from a guarantee but also feels likely — what would that one-take look like?
I asked Hargrave during our chat that, hypothetically, should there be an Extraction 3, if he was already thinking about the next one-take. And if so, how long would it be? Maybe it becomes the whole film like 1917.
“Yeah. I mean, if there's a third movie — fans willing; we'll see how they feel about the second movie — we have to do something to differentiate ourselves while also doing good on the promise of this kind of experience that Extraction and Extraction 2 kind of paid off on so,” said Hargrave with a laugh.
He's aware that bigger is not always better, hence why he hesitated to confirm that a third one-shot would be longer than the second film's. “Mathematically, will it be a 44-minute “oner”? Or an entire movie? I don't know,” he admitted.
The priority for Hargrave is not topping himself time-wise so much as it is making sure that it has a place in the film. It's quality over quantity (or length).
“It really has to fit the story. Like I don't want the “oner” to ever become part of a gimmick. Like it can't just be done for the sake of doing it. It has to fit the story and feel organic, and we have to be able to make it more exciting and more thrilling, and more emotionally connected to the characters. Otherwise, you know, I shouldn't bother,” Hargrave concludes.
And respect to Sam Hargrave for not simply becoming self-indulged with the one-shot sequences. They are fantastic — both the one in Extraction and its sequel are some of the best action sequences in recent memory — but he's right in that you don't want it to become a gimmick like the “Shyamalan twist” or the multiverse in comic book movies. Even if the one-shot becomes Hargrave's signature touch as a director a la the perfect symmetry and dry line delivery in Wes Anderson's films, it seems like he'll make an effort to not force it in without justifying its existence.
Extraction 2 will be released on June 16 on Netflix.
