In Los Angles, a group of meticulous bank robbers have been successfully pulling off big heists for years. Their flawless track record is a result of detailed planning and a thorough sense of their surroundings. In an attempt to bid a valiant farewell, the group opts to take part in one final job- their biggest job ever! But with so much cash on the line, the team begins to loose focus. All prior knowledge is thrown out the window as the police look to finally get the break they have been waiting on for years"¦ one mistake, and it could all be over.
I must admit that I was really hoping this film would be good. The story was standard (that much I knew from the previews), and the actors- while cool- didn't look as if they fit the part. Needless to say, I was disappointed with what I saw.
In a nutshell, Takers is a film where a gang of cool dudes rob a bank and then get chased by cops- simple as that. The story is anything but original, and the writers opt to take things one step further by using almost every standard line of nearly every bank robbing movie to help them sort out their story. It was embarrassing to watch the actors sort through the rubble and attempt to make something of such a dismal script, forcing me to often wonder how so many respectable entertainers got attached to a single unspectacular project.
Beyond the script and dialogue, I will credit the film for its action sequences and intense shootouts; they were not bad, especially considering the film's PG-13 rating. But there is no overlooking the dismal acting of rap star T.I and once respected Paul Walker and Hayden Christensen- all of whom look out of place in terms of their characters. I mean, T.I. is said to be the "˜mastermind' of the whole operation "“ really, you expect us to believe that?
On the other side of the spectrum, Chris Brown steals the show from Idris Elba, showing us just how good of an entertainer he truly is. His chase scene is easily the best sequence of the entire film, and it wouldn't surprise me if Brown begins to score more big-screen roles in the future. He took what little was offered to him and translated it into something watchable; given that small feat, his work on this film was a huge success!
At the end of the day, Takers was a sitting duck from the onset. The story of a bank robbery gone wrong has been done hundreds of times before, and most of those renditions were better than this one. The movie does offer a slight dose of action, but with a cast this deep, I expected something more. Don't go to the theater for this one; a Redbox rental is just what the doctor ordered!
