Sometimes, movie stars make all the difference. There’s a reason Tom Cruise, Denzel Washington, Will Smith and Clint Eastwood command top dollar to appear on the screen and have a large, loyal fan following – they have presence. Much of what is wrong with John Luessenhop’s Takers is that its cast is made up of B-movie actors and media personalities who strut around playing robbers and cops as if they were kids involved in a game of dress up. It doesn’t help either that the script from four different authors offers up little that’s original.
This heist film owes a large debt to far too many other movies to mention. Suffice it to say, Takers is the cinematic equivalent to leftovers and none of them are very fresh.
The crew in question – wiseacre A.J. (Hayden Christensen), suave Gordon (Idris Elba), smooth Rahway (Paul Walker), simmering Ghost (T.I. Harris) and brothers Jesse and Jake (Chris Brown and Michael Ealy) – only do high-paying jobs and decide to hijack an armored car with up to $30 million inside. Looks like just another day at the office for these thieves until Detective Jake Welles (Matt Dillon) decides to bring them down.
Other than Dillon, who delivers his usual solid performance, none of the other principals deliver anything akin to acting, as they are far too busy smirking, cracking wise and pretending they have the charisma to put this film over the top. They’re sorely mistaken, as is Luessenhop in his decision to constantly move the camera and approve an editing scheme that’s likely to induce seizures. There are few thrills to be had here though getting a migraine headache seems assured.
Contact Chuck Koplinski at ckoplinski@usd116.org.
