“Takers” is the type of movie where you won’t long for action. In fact, by then movies conclusion you’ll be so sick of car chases, gun battles, and explosions you’ll probably need a two day nap.
Written and directed by John Luessenhop – the genius mind behind “Texas Chainsaw 3D” – “Takers” mixes recognizable faces from stage and pop to create an exciting though slightly lacking powerhouse cast.
Top billing goes to Idris Elba and the late Paul Walker. We see Matt Dillon, Hayden Christenson, and Michael Ealy in the second tier of names. Bringing up the read are “musicians” Chris Brown and T.I, the latter of which I had to research to discover he is an Atlanta based rapper behind the beats of tunes like “Big Shit Poppin'” and “Swing Ya Rag” (certainly available on iTunes if you so desire).
The concept is simple. A group highly skilled bank robbers gets infiltrated en route to a 20 million dollar takedown. The movie opens with an elaborate robbery led by Gordon (Elba) and his gang including characters played by Walker, Ealy, and Brown.
The bad guys are smooth cats. Ealy’s character Jake has the blue eyes of Sinatra and the style of a GQ cover man. Elba’s Gordon smokes thick cigars and drops lines in a suave British accent like “We’re takers gents. It’s what we do.” Paul Walker’s John oozes charisma and makes one wonder why John would choose a life of crime over modeling.
Never have I been more confused by the plot of a cops and robbers movie than I was with this picture. We progress as the crooks plan the 2o million dollar heist, not knowing if one or more of them is working with the cops or trying to swindle each other.
In fact, I went into the final scenes still not knowing who was who and which side everyone was on. There was no discernable rooting faction. The slick criminals led by Elba? The cops led by Detective Jack Welles (Dillon)? Or the undercover cops posing as bank robbers, whoever they may be.
Jack Welles who was clearly not undercover but opened fire on everyone and everything with the tenacity of a wild west sheriff. One scene shows Welles in pursuit of Gordon through the busy streets of Los Angeles all the while his young daughter is in the car with him.
The story was weak in that its simply one gun fight or car chase after another with countless fatalities and immense destruction of property. I don’t think one scene passed by without a weapon being drawn.
We saw in “Romeo Must Die” what happens when hip hop entertainers infiltrate into the world of movie, and its not pretty. Brown and T.I can’t act. There’s nothing else to say about it. The movie is like an excuse to push their latest songs.
Walker fits in with a role similar to his “Fast and the Furious” claim to fame. And Elba is always good, though I feel his steady rise to fame would prevent him from taking this role in the present day.
Never lacking for action, if you just want a movie that features a lot of ridiculous nonsense and hijinks, “Takes” may be perfect for you.
by – Matt Christopher
