Observing the all-star cast of the movie “Takers,” in theaters now, one would expect this film to be the blockbuster hit of the summer, right? Wrong. Though I am not one to give many spoilers, the film does have some pitfalls, in my opinion. My main qualm with “Takers” is that the movie seems to be a male version of 1996’s “Set if off,” featuring the all female cast of Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Vivica A. Fox and Kimberly Elise. The main differences between the two movies include “Takers’” use of different camera angles, explosions and, well … boys.
At the beginning of the film, directed by John Luessenhop, “Takers” places the viewer in the middle of a bank heist. The accuracy and precision that the thieves use to “take” their loot leads many to believe that this is not the robbers’ first time — this is a group of seasoned professionals. The bank-robbing crew includes Gordon Jennings (Idris Elba), John Rahway (Paul Walker), A.J. (Hayden Christensen) and brothers Jake (Michael Ealy) and Jesse Attica (Chris Brown) successfully completing their “latest heist and leading a life of luxury while planning their next job.” Ghost (Tip “T.I.” Harris), a former member of the team, is released from prison and convinces the group to take down an armored car carrying $20 million.
In the midst of the film, you have corrupted cops, druggy sisters and a character that is a double bad guy — not to mention Zoe Saldana’s character playing the “good” fiancé role to Ealy’s Jake. While Saldana’s usual performances exhibit her strong character, her portrayal of fiancé Rachel Jansen became background noise to the story at hand. Her demeanor was rather stiff and would have benefited from being part of the action.
While “Takers” is action-packed, the viewer does not have the same attachment to its characters as they would have in “Set it off;” the female gangsters of that film lived a hard life at the bottom of the totem pole and elicited compassion from the viewer, connecting the viewer to their situation. The film’s director, F. Gary Gray, portrayed a sense of pity and camaraderie between the women that could not be shaken by anything. In “Takers,” however, greed and power are thrust into the hands of the characters. The camaraderie is a bit shaky and the viewer never knows what to truly believe. Also, T.I.’s presence seems to overshadow the plot and the other characters. Although he is a local Atlanta rapper, perhaps someone more sinister should have been cast in the role. He did a great job, but an LA film doesn’t need Georgia.
Overall, “Takers” is a very raw film. While this PG-13 flick is great for mind-numbing action, moviegoers may want to wait until this film comes out on video.
Tags :
Movies
