Gun fire, armored trucks and an all star cast. If you love these things, then “Takers” is the movie for you.
Directed by John Luessenhop, “Takers” is fast-paced and action-packed. However, for all its action and jumping in the plot, the story flows cohesively through the whole film.
“Takers” is about a group of career criminals who get together once a year to plan a huge bank heist. But when a former member of the gang, Ghost (played by T.I.), gets out of jail, he brings forth a proposal for their biggest heist yet. The only problem is they have five days to pull it off.
Savvy criminals are always the main characters in a heist movie and “Takers” is no exception. The crew of skilled thieves includes a jazz piano player A.J. (Hayden Christensen); gentleman Jake (Michael Ealy) and, to foil the gentleman, his ex-convict brother, Jesse (Chris Brown); the professional character, John (Paul Walker); and the leader of the group with a spiffy accent to boot, Gordon (Idris Elba).
Produced by T.I., the movie is similar to a revamped “Italian Job” or “Set it Off”. The action scenes were shot perfectly and there was a good story to back up the action.
The character development was a little weak, with the focus mainly on the story of Gordon (Idris Elba).
The acting was solid; Idris Elba definitely gave an Oscar-worthy performance. Not only that, there was an amazing chase sequence that showcased Chris Brown’s remarkable athletic skills.
However, with all these great actors, T.I. is left playing with the “big boys”, and presents a less than amazing performance as an actor. Some may even say that he played himself in the movie with all the cursing and slang that was used. Hayden Christensen deserves major props also for holding his own in a couple of amazing fight scenes that were portrayed.
“I thought it was an amazing and excellent movie. Chris Brown did some awesome stunts and the cast was great,” Kirsten Tigler, freshman Psychology major, said.
The soundtrack was not as noticeable due to the heavy action scenes. T.I. had one of his own songs, “Yeah You Know,” featured in the film.
On the whole, “Takers” was very good. Its weekend gross of 21.5 million, made it the top movie in America on its opening weekend. I give it a nine out of 10 and highly recommend Takers for anyone who enjoys a good heist movie or to those who just want to see the heavy selection of “eye candy”.