Indiana native Mike Yonts has long been active on the commercial side of film production with 20+ years of work including television commercials, industrials, and music videos. While he's DP'd for other filmmakers (That's Director of Photography. Get your mind out of the gutter!), he's never taken the deep dive into feature films.
Until now.
Extraction, USA is an Indiana made film featuring a largely Indiana cast and crew taking the classic heist theme and bringing it alive with some unique twists and turns. Extraction, USA is an action-crime flick with more than a hint of romance and just a wee bit of comedy. It centers around two women, Marni (Leanne Johnson) and Steph (Marlee Carpenter), two women from the margins barely existing in the fictional town of Extraction (which, by the way, would be an awesome name for a town).
Marni is a bartender, single mom, and occasional pool hustler with a son, Jason (Chase Strange), who gets bullied at school, and a boss, Daryl (Derek McMahan), who is more than a bit of a creepster. She's mostly a good woman with a whisper of bad girl. Or maybe it's the other way around.
One night, Steph walks into Marni's bar with a confident swagger and a willingness to push. The two meet nice, meet-cute, and then make-out. The chemistry is palpable. Before long, they're hatching schemes to improve their finances and this leads to, well, you'll just have to watch for yourself.
Extraction, USA practically defines grassroots filmmaking. The film possesses a low-budget swagger and an ensemble that's fun to watch even if the film occasionally falls victim to the usual low-budget indie hindrance of hit-and-miss performances. The film's strength lies in the strength of its co-leads. Leanne Johnson, also a producer on the film, is an up-and-comer with an increasingly diverse and impressive filmography. She seems willing to try just about anything and the role of Marni is one that lets her flex her acting muscles quite a bit.
Marlee Carpenter is similarly impressive as Steph, the less grounded of the two with a volatility that feels constantly unpredictable. It's fun to watch Carpenter lean into both the tenderness and the impulsivity of Steph and to really pull off the full spectrum quite nicely.
Among the supporting players, I was particularly taken by Chase Strange as Marni's son Jason, Dija Henry as Sharon, and James Tackett as Jack among others. There were several moments in Extraction, USA where even the bit players got a chance to shine.
It's unsurprising given Yonts's history in cinematography that this would be a strong area for Extraction, USA, though it bears mentioning that this lower-budgeted indie really shines even with the challenge of nighttime scenes and a couple more complex sequences. Cory Shearer's production design impresses throughout especially in capturing the multiple layers of each of the film's major players.
After a successful indie festival run, Extraction, USA is actively seeking distribution and will hopefully find a home with an indie distributor that will help it find a wider audience. A fine example of the increasing quality of Indiana's growing film scene, Extraction, USA will hopefully be available soon for all to see.
Written by Richard Propes
The Independent Critic
