‘Extraction 2’ Ending Explained: How Did Tyler Survive the Events of ‘Extraction 1’?
Welcome to the Ending Explained for Extraction 2, the sequel to one of the most successful Netflix original films. When the first Extraction debuted on the streaming service, Chris Hemsworth was still riding the wave of Thor Ragnarök, which basically rebranded the character in ways that people didn’t expect. All that good grace sadly disappears with the release of Love & Thunder, a movie that is more ridiculous than anything else. Now Hemsworth and Sam Hargrave come back for a movie that will try to be a better sequel than Love & Thunder ever was.
Extraction 2 definitely goes harder when it comes to its action sequences, which is great because that is the reason to watch these types of movies in the first place. You can feel that Sam Hargrave and his team really step up in this regard, delivering a movie that feels impactful and impressive on a technical level. The movie also tries to open up the character of Tyler Rake just a bit more than the sequel did, and it is successful in that regard. It gives us just enough clues and revelations to care for the character beyond him being a killing machine.
The following paragraphs contain spoilers for Extraction 2. Read at your own risk.
How Did Tyler Survive The Events Of Extraction 1?
When this movie started, I couldn’t help but make a very faint connection between our main character, Tyler Rake, and a character in the fascinating and extensive fantasy book series, Malazan Book of the Fallen. In that series, there is also a character named Rake, Anomander Rake, and oh boy! Like Rake in Extraction, this guy is a total badass, defying death in the face every chance he gets. The movie begins with Rake exactly where we left him at the first film’s end. We see him dropping into the water. Rake’s fate at the of the first film was left ambiguous.
Of course, that decision was made because it was hard to say if the movie would be successful enough to warrant a sequel. The movie was successful, so the sequel drops the following sequence, where we see a shadow that might or might not be Rake alive. Here, we see exactly what happened to Rake after he fell into the water. A little girl finds him, and then several mercenaries, who probably work for Nik, grab him and give him first-aid attention. After that, we learn that Rake has been translated to Dubai, where they save his life.
The recovery period is quite extreme. Rake has multiple fractures, and he basically needs to learn to walk once again and put all the pieces of his body where they belong. You can feel that the extension of the damage on his body feeds Rake with only pain. Thankfully, Nik is there for him all the way. Nik becomes quite an important character in the story of this film. She appears much more than in the first movie, and the chemistry between her and Rake is undeniable. So much so that it might be hard not to pair them romantically. Nik cares for Rake in ways not many would do, even for their best friends or loved ones.
We also get a lot more of Yaz, Nik’s sister. Yaz also brings a lot of support, trying to make the tense atmosphere around him a bit more palatable. His humor breaks Rake’s ice more often than not. After his recovery in Dubai, Nik and Yaz take Rake to a cabin in an undisclosed location. There, they hope he can retire in peace like he always wanted. However, one day, Rake is visited by a man named Alcott, who has a very important job for Rake, one that becomes personal when he learns it involves his former sister-in-law and her family. Rake takes the job and recruits Nik and Yaz to help him.
Does Tyler Rake Accomplish His Mission In Extraction 2?
Alcott says the mission involves extracting a mother and their children from prison. The woman is the wife of gangster Davit Radiani, who, along with his brother Zurab controls a billion-dollar drug and weapons enterprise. The gang followers behave almost like a cult and are extremely dangerous. The personal angle is that the woman is Ketevan’s sister to Rake’s ex-wife, Mia. Here we start to see a glimpse inside the personal life of Rake, which until this point was shrouded in mystery. We learn that Rake also had a kid and that he died somehow.
Rake, Nik, and Yaz begin the extraction at the prison. We see how Davit has forced Ketevan and their children to be prisoners along with him. He is violent, and Ketevan fears that she or her children will end up dead if they remain there. Rake arrives, and he takes Ketevan, and her two children, Sandro, and Nina, with him. Sandro is the oldest and still feels attached to his father, who he admires even if he is a criminal monster. The group gets separated, with Rake and Ketevan finding Davit on the way. Rake ends up killing Davit, and the group escapes on a train.
Rake and the others arrive in Austria, where they can take care of Nina, who was hurt in the escape, and wait for things to calm down. Meanwhile, Zurab sees his brother’s corpse and promises to fight until the last blood in honor of his brother. He will take his revenge. Zurab’s second in command is not so sure. He believes Zurab will commend the entire gang if he follows this path. Sandro is conflicted when he learns his father is dead, uses a satellite phone to contact his uncle, and gives away their location. Zurab attacks the building where Rake and the others are hidden.
A huge battle ensues, and Zurab takes away Sandro, who now regrets having called his uncle for help. He learns that now this means his mother will die because of him. Zurab and Rake fight, and in the end, Rake manages to escape with Ketevan and Nina. However, Yaz dies protecting them. Nik mourns her brother. They arrive at Rake’s cabin, and Mia arrives. We learn that Rake’s kid got cancer and died soon after, while Rake just left on another mission. Mia and Rake talk and he finally reveals he left because he couldn’t watch his son die. Not him. Zurab makes contact and reveals where he is. Rake needs to come alone if he wants to save Sandro.
Rake goes to the meeting place and fights Zurab. Nik also arrives and deals with the rest of the henchmen, but she is severely wounded. Between the two, they kill Zurab once and for all. The police arrive, and Rake and Nik are arrested for all the chaos they generate. Mia visits Rake in jail and tells him that the last thing their son thought of him was that he had left to save people and that he wanted to be brave like his father. Mia also says Ketevan, Sandro, and Nina are all safe. They say goodbye.
Rake is rerouted and taken outside the prison on the way to his cell. He then meets with Alcott, who believes he can free him from prison if he does a job for the man he works for. Nik also arrives, having been offered the same deal. And so Rake and Nik prepared for another sequel that we cannot wait to watch.
