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FeedMovie Review: Takers
Films opening this week:
Get Low - Amherst Dipson
The Last Exorcism - Maple Ridge; Market Arcade; Elmwood, Transit, Galleria, Quaker, Hollywood Regals; Flix; Transit Drive-In
Takers - Maple Ridge; Market Arcade; McKinley Mall; Elmwood, Transit, Galleria, Hollywood Regals; Flix
Shot at the end of 2008 with promotional materials cropping up during the following year, the only fathomable reason I can think for the film Takers being released in the second half of 2010 is actor/producer Chris Brown’s extracurricular activities. However, this Ocean’s 11-from-the-streets does display high style right from the start.
Gordon Jennings (Idris Elba), John Rahway (Paul Walker), Jake Attica (Michael Ealy), and his little brother Jesse (Brown) find themselves on an abandoned floor above an LA bank, ready to pull off an intricately detailed plan, one that will actually use the police and media’s response time to their advantage. It's a standard heist film trope—old friends and business partners, aiming to retire until the next job.
There are weak points. Brown’s Jesse is not only bad onscreen—the smile doesn't compensate for a lack of talent—but he is also the new guy on the team and a bit raw. This is especially important, since no matter how washed-up or beaten cop Jack Welles (Matt Dillon) seems, he and partner Eddie (Jay Hernandez) are ready to exploit any chink in the armor of these faceless criminals. It’s all made a little easier once the thieves decide to go against their cardinal rule of one score a year. Ghost (Tip ‘T.I.’ Harris) calls on his old crew for help on an armored car heist—the same vehicles that got him pinched before—but this time armed with Russian intelligence. Even though, the endeavor is a bit too good to be true.
John Luessenhop’s film likes to play with the audience’s preconceptions of these characters, turning expectations on their heads as the plot progresses. There are dirty cops, charitable criminals, siblings, rival teams, junkies, and a heavy lean on the sentimentality of family. Ealy’s Jake may in fact be closer "brothers" with Hayden Christensen’s A. J. than his own flesh and blood, while Elba and Walker are father figures to the rest.
Other than Brown—who actually isn’t onscreen very much, so his novice skill set isn’t a big a detriment—everyone does a fine job. Christensen is kind of scary as a man with no remorse; Elba channels his business-like crime boss from “The Wire”; and T.I. surprisingly shines as Ghost. The standouts are Dillon, as a father and partner doing his best, and Ealy. These two bring the most complete performances.
Takers becomes an interesting meld of character study and entertaining crime drama as the stakes get higher and things begin to unravel. Luessenhop and company may go a bit too far, even bringing in an operatic slow-motion finale, but you can’t fault him for thinking big. I did feel as though the film was about to end three times before it actually did, and a few long shots might have helped it from being so disjointed—the close-ups and quick cuts during a ten-minute chase through LA can make you dizzy. I would love to know if Brown did his own stunts for it, since they are quite impressive. If only the camera stopped long enough for me to find out.
Takers 6/10
photography:
[1] (l to r) Paul Walker, Idris Elba and Hayden Christensen star in Screen Gems' action thriller TAKERS. Photo By: Suzanne Tenner
[2] Tip "T.I." Harris (left) and Michael Ealy star in Screen Gems' action thriller TAKERS. Photo By: Suzanne Tenner
