The machine learning algorithms at Netflix suggested I would enjoy this movie, and what do you know – they were right!
The Take was originally meant to be titled Bastille Day and
planned to be released in 2016. However, there was a terrorist attack on Bastille
Day in Nice in 2016, so StudioCanal pulled the advertising and the movie did
not as wide a release as originally planned.
The story revolves around a young pickpocket, Michael, who is scamming
his way through Paris. He picks up the bag
of a woman who seems to be having a difficult evening and seeing nothing in the
bag but a teddy bear, throws it away.
Unbeknownst to him, that bear was a bomb, and when it goes off in the
trash, he becomes the main suspect in a carefully orchestrated scheme. American
CIA agent Briar comes in to work with the local authorities to track him down
and unravel the threads of the puzzle.
The movie is directed by James Watkins and while it reveals the plot fairly early, manages to keep the tension intact. It is part heist flick, part chase movie, and part buddy-cop action-comedy. I found myself wondering how Michael and Briar were going to get out of what seemed to be an ever-deepening hole as they slowly realized exactly what was going on. The action is pretty good, including a foot chase across Paris rooftops that was shot on location and reminded me that neither of these gentlemen is David Belle from Banlieue 13. If you haven’t seen that, you should – it’s also on Netflix. Belle makes the rooftops look like a playground. This movie makes them look dangerous. What gave this movie an extra push of interest for me was the villains ability to manipulate public opinion and turn protesting crowds into weapons to accomplish his goal – scary and believable.
Richard Madden and Idris Elba play the two leads – both of which are American characters. I do not understand why they were not simply adjusted to both be British characters. They certainly did not need to be American, and while both of them do a passing American accent, why not simply let them use their own accents? Madden did spend some time learning pickpocketing techniques and the practical nature of the action helped the story. Elba is fantastic and charismatic as always. There does seem to be half a backstory introduced where he is in trouble with his superiors for something or other that is never really cleared up - but hey, it's not important for this story.
Charlotte Le Bon plays Zoe, a woman caught in the web of the
bad guys. She realizes her predicament and shifts to the good guy side, just in
time since the bad guys decide she’s a loose end.
Kelly Reilly plays another American CIA agent, Karen Dacre. She’s also British, so why this movie didn’t just use MI6 is beyond me, but in any case, she’s there to try to keep Briar in line.
Overall, the movie is filled with practical action and an interesting, if not original, storyline. The leads are watchable and the entire piece entertaining. Certainly worth a stream.
7 out of 10
Here’s the trailer for Banlieue 13. David Belle is the man who - if not invented, then certainly perfected - parkour (free-running). It's from 2004 but set in the futuristic world of 2010.
There is also an American version from 2014 with Paul Walker as the cop and Belle reprising his role called Brick Mansions. It's also on Netflix, so you can have yourself a very parkour-heavy evening!
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