Takers Movie Review

September 2, 2010
by
1 min read
Folio Weekly

by Rick Grant
This is a fast moving heist film involving a sophisticated crew of career criminals led by Gordon Jennings (Idris Elba) with his top lieutenant John Rahway (Paul Walker). The crew runs their bank robberies like a corporation, planning and executing the jobs with precision.
The gang uses a violent takeover style, terrorizing the bank with automatic weapons and using explosives. They leave by secret routes leaving no evidence. They live the high life, invest their earning, and plan the jobs with skill and precision. Off duty, the team wear custom made suits, own expensive condos, prestige cars, and socialize at VIP lounges.
On one job, a member of their crew, Ghost (Tip “T.I.” Harris) was shot, arrested, and served five years in the joint keeping his mouth shut. When he got out, he expected to be part of the team again. The tight-knit group accepts him back. After all, he didn’t rat them out.
However, the team doesn’t trust him. Nonetheless, he brings an enticing job to them for $30 million in 2 armored cars arriving on a certain date and time. The only caveat is, they only have five days to plan the job. Normally, they take at least a month to plan a heist. But, it’s a rare opportunity for a big score. Gordon says, “We are takers and that’s what we do.”
Meanwhile, a hard working detective, Jack Welles (Matt Dillon) is determined to help the FBI collar this crew. He knows that they will slip-up eventually, and he can get a sliver of evidence to track them down.
Written and directed by John Luessenhop, the film features non-stop action sequences, car stunts, foot chases, and firefights. The lead flies through the air like wind driven rain and the bodies pile up. At times it’s difficult to keep track of who’s who in the gang. For the most part, though, this is an action junkies fix of pure adrenalin.
The action ramps us toward the end as Welles closes in on the gang. The lure of the $30 million heist has ignited the crew’s greed, which overshadow their careful planning.
The ensemble cast is great at portraying high styled gangsters who are making a fortune robbing banks. It’s a mixed race crew, which brought in Paul Walker to play a key role as well as Hayden Christensen as A.J.
Overall, this is one of the best heist films to come down the pike in ages. I’m an old man, but it got me revved up. Hey, let’s go rob a bank–only kidding!

Folio is your guide to entertainment and culture around and near Jacksonville, Florida. We cover events, concerts, restaurants, theatre, sports, art, happenings, and all things about living and visiting Jax. Folio serves more than two million readers across Jacksonville and Northeast Florida, including St. Augustine, The Beaches, and Fernandina.

Current Issue

SUBMIT EVENTS

Submit Events

Advertisements

SingOutLoadFestival_TheAmp_2025
liz-buys-houses-digital
generac-home-standby-generator-banners

Date

Title

Current Month

Follow FOLIO!

Folio Weekly
Previous Story

Sports w/The Jock Sept 1

Folio Weekly
Next Story

IMPROVING JACKSONVILLE – jim draper

Latest from Movies

July Theater, Dance and Film

Through Aug. 17 “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The New Musical” Alhambra Theatre & Dining alhambrajax.com July 2 “Ninja Kids” Florida Theatre floridatheatre.com July 5-13 “Willie Wonka Jr.” Amelia Community Theatre, Fernandina Beach ameliacommunitytheatre.org July 10-13 “Midsummer Night’s Dream” Amelia Musical Playhouse, Fernandina Beach ameliamusicalplayhouse.com July

The Materialists and the Comeback of Rom-Coms

Words by Ambar Ramirez What makes a good rom-com? Is it the love tropes? The love triangles, forbidden love, enemies to lovers, lovers to enemies and back to lovers, best friends turned lovers, lovers turned best friends or the girl next door and the boy next door. Or maybe

Cowabunga, dudes, Turtlemania is BACK! 

Words by Teresa Spencer Break out your pizza cutters and nunchucks, because on August 17 and 20, the original 1990 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie is leaping back onto the big screen to celebrate its radical 35th anniversary. That’s right, Leonardo, Donatello, Michelangelo, and Raphael are storming theaters again,

SINNERS: Culture, History and the Language of Metaphors

Words by Za’Nya Davis If you miss it, you might only catch a vampire story — paying closer attention, you will find Ryan Coolger’s “Sinners” is a strategically constructed film that uses every aspect of its screenwriting to entice its audience through the art of creative writing and masterful

June Theater, Dance and Film

Through June 1 “Hamlet” The Island Theater, Fleming Island theislandtheater.com Through June 15 “Rhinocerous” Limelight Theatre, St. Augustine limelight-theatre.org Through June 22  “My Fair Lady”  Alhambra Theatre & Dining alhambrajax.com June 2 “Celebrating Celine Dion” Alhambra Theatre & Dining alhambrajax.com June 6-15  “Anastasia”  The Island Theater,
July 5th Cleanup
GoUp

Don't Miss

The Avett Brothers

November 15 The Avett Brothers St. Augustine Amphitheatre (904) 471-1965

Paula Poundstone

Paula Poundstone “Twitter is the postcards in my head.” It’s