'Extraction' Director Sam Hargrave Talks Jackie Chan and the Importance of Practical Action [The Fourth Wall #19]

Over the last decade, you’ve undoubtedly seen both Sam Hargrave and his work without even knowing it. In fifteen years, he has racked up 80 credits working as either a stunt performer or stunt coordinator in both television and film. He's doubled for Hugh Jackman, Chris Evans, and Justin Timberlake, along with many others; and is responsible for staging some of the biggest and most exciting action sequences in recent years. Hargrave served as a stunt coordinator on "Avengers: Endgame," "Deadpool 2," "Captain America: Civil War," "Atomic Blonde," and all but the first film in the "Hunger Games" franchise, just to name a few.

While stunt performance allowed Hargrave to make a name for himself, his true passion always lied with directing. In April, he was finally able to turn that passion into a reality with his directorial debut with "Extraction." "Extraction" is a Netflix Original action film written by Joe Russo, produced by the Russo Brothers, and starring Chris Hemsworth and David Harbour. The film tells the story of a mercenary sent in to extricate the son of an international crime lord from the clutches of kidnappers. When Hemsworth’s character (Tyler Rake) is double-crossed, he faces enemies on all sides as he battles to protect the boy and escape town.

"Extraction" was an instant hit for Netflix. According to the streaming service, the film "is well on its way to becoming the biggest-ever film premiere on Netflix — with a projected 90 million households getting in on the action in the first 4 weeks." The movie appears to have been the right movie at the right time. While movie theaters are shut down and virtually all theatrical releases have been postponed, Netflix offered an exciting action film produced by the directors of the biggest movie of the past decade, featuring one of today’s leading men, and directed by one of the premier stunt coordinators in the business. People seemed more than willing to tune in.

Perhaps much of this has to do with a yearning for more mid-budget action movies. The filmmaker himself even cited the works of Jackie Chan and John McTiernan along with "Rambo"  as works that impacted his filmmaking sensibilities.

During our conversation with director Sam Hargrave, we discussed not only "Extraction," its success, and the already announced sequel (and whether he’ll be involved), but also action movies in general, as well as Netflix as a vessel for more niche films to be made and seen. We also learn what action films inspired him as a director and filmmaker, and find out what he has been watching while stuck at home during the pandemic.