Extraction (2015)

1 Star (out of 4)

Rescue Yawn

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Bad acting, clunky cinematography and editing, heavy violence, and a less-than-genius screenplay make this one a totally disposable action movie, not even recommendable to die-hard Bruce Willis fans. Director Steven C. Miller and co-writers Max Adams and Umair Aleem leave no cliche unturned, from a flashback opening that explains all the single-minded character motivations to come, to a half-baked romance, a noisy music score, and a "twist" that is more annoying than surprising.

Harry Turner (Kellan Lutz) has spent his life trying to live up to his legendary father, CIA operative Leonard Turner (Bruce Willis). Working in the CIA Harry has spent months applying to become a field operative as well, but keeps getting turned down. When his father is kidnapped and terrorist group threatens to unleash a killer computer virus, Harry heads out on his own to rescue his father and save the world. The CIA sends the skilled Victoria (Gina Carano) to bring him home, but it turns out that Harry and Victoria have a personal history, and she decides to help him. But will they be prepared when they find out what the real plot is?

Lutz and Carano both seem to have been hired based on their skills in the gym rather than their acting, and Willis isn't onscreen long enough to make up for them. Supporting characters are ridiculously thin, and often rather dumb. And the whole thing is wrapped up in a choppy, shaky filming style that makes all the chases, fights, and shootouts numbing instead of exciting. The main achievement of Extraction is that it makes us feel sorry for poor Willis, who surely deserves better.