Critic Reviews
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Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader
Laughable subplots about Elba's addicted sister (Marianne Jean-Baptiste) and Dillon's crooked partner (Jay Hernandez) only slow the action, which is all this movie has going for it.
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Trevor Johnston, Time Out
Not terrible, but undemanding.
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Mary F. Pols, MSN Movies
as long as you understand exactly what kind of hack cinema you are getting into, Takers can be pretty fun.
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, Time Out New York
Director John Luessenhop's aggressive approach to action scenes is frequently inspired.
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Ian Buckwalter, NPR
With no emotional heft to the performances, it's hard to care whether anyone's dreams are dashed or fulfilled. That leaves the heist itself to compensate, but it only digs deeper into tired action movie cliches.
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Amy Biancolli, Houston Chronicle
Someone has to say it, so I will: Shaky cam is out of control.
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John Hanlon, Big Hollywood
A fun and engaging film with an exciting young cast making the most out of an uneven script.
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Jeff Beck, Examiner.com
It seems the writers thought the essentials of a heist film were a half-baked heist sequence and lots of gunfire. They seem to forget that if there's not a good story and characters in place to carry those extra elements, none of them will matter.
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Nick Schager, Lessons of Darkness
A mini-Michael Mann effort populated by one-dimensional clichés.
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Dave White, Movies.com
No one's asking a low-priority contemporary robbery movie to be Rififi, but there's such a thing as striving for some kind of quality that will set you apart from the anonymous pack. And no one thought to do that here.
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Shaun Munro, What Culture
Not even a good effort from Matt Dillon -- who seems to play the hard-done-by cop/security guard for the umpteenth time here -- can provide this stodgy outing with the caffeine kick it is sorely in need of.
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R. L. Shaffer, IGN DVD
The film borrows from dozens of classic heist pictures, but adds very little fresh, original or exciting to the mix.
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Kam Williams, TheLoop21.com
Mindless mayhem perfect for fans of pyrotechnics for pyrotechnics sake!
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Kam Williams, NewsBlaze
Mindless mayhem perfect for fans of pyrotechnics for pyrotechnics sake.
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David Nusair, Reel Film Reviews
A consistently unwatchable actioner...
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Prairie Miller, NewsBlaze
Melting pot multicultural heist mayhem that would self-destruct a Tea Party convention, Takers gives great slickly conceived action. But the crowded cast of teflon coated conspirators and preposterous scenarios, make LA more like an Afghan war zone.
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Bruce Bennett, Spectrum (St. George, Utah)
Borrows from its' genre without embarassing itself.
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Sean Means, Salt Lake Tribune
It all crumbles into a series of chaotic gun battles filled with shaky camera moves and excessive noise.
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Simon Reynolds, Digital Spy
Marks the on-screen collision of Hayden Christensen and Paul Walker, two actors so charmless and wooden this reviewer feared their combined presence would result in the creation of a charisma black hole that could wipe out the universe.
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Derek Malcolm, This is London
Noisily vacant.
Read all 24 critic reviews
Featured Audience Ratings
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My predicted rating: 3.5 stars
There is a fair bit of Action in this heist film and a pretty good line up of Actors, which sort of gives it an Oceans Eleven spin, however that's where the similarities end, Takers is much grittier than most Action films of this kind with a good… More
My predicted rating: 3.5 stars
There is a fair bit of Action in this heist film and a pretty good line up of Actors, which sort of gives it an Oceans Eleven spin, however that's where the similarities end, Takers is much grittier than most Action films of this kind with a good plot, interesting heist, depth of characters and interesting back stories and had the ability to be a great film, unfortunately on a down side, everything was a little too busy in parts and dragged in others.
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Takers is an unoriginal, chaotic, senseless mayhem of cops chasing robbers offering little new perspective to the crime-action genre. Laughable, embarrassing storyline conveying all sorts of wrong messages.
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Just another "trying to be cool" heist movie.
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Slam-bang crime caper, in the same spirit as films like <i>Heat</i> and <i>Ocean's Eleven</i>. Going pedal-to-the-metal from the get-go, not a single second is wasted in this rip-roaring heist flick. It's a bit of a double-edged sword though, as the… More
Slam-bang crime caper, in the same spirit as films like <i>Heat</i> and <i>Ocean's Eleven</i>. Going pedal-to-the-metal from the get-go, not a single second is wasted in this rip-roaring heist flick. It's a bit of a double-edged sword though, as the rapid progress of the plot leaves zero room for any character development. Everything happens so fast, that you're really not sure who to root for: the cops or the bank robbers? Consequently, there's no sympathy invested as to who makes it out alive. It also shamelessly underuses it's biggest star, Zoë Saldana. I wish they had included her more into the plot, instead of just being someone's obligatory, cardboard cut-out girlfriend. Even Hayden Christensen, a.k.a. "Mannequin Skywalker", has a bigger role than she does, which considering the huge talent difference between them, is beyond unfair. On the plus side, however, it's incredibly entertaining. Much more so than I had imagined, with its quick-on-the-draw action bits and explosive pace. Perfect for a night of brainless fun - and <i>that</i> you can take to the bank.
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I only watched it because some of my favorite actors are in it. The action was awesome, but after watching Fast Five, I can't say Takers was very good.
The characters were pretty boring; I didn't really care too much about them. It was a fast movie, so I didn't… More
I only watched it because some of my favorite actors are in it. The action was awesome, but after watching Fast Five, I can't say Takers was very good.
The characters were pretty boring; I didn't really care too much about them. It was a fast movie, so I didn't really get the chance to know them either. Like when that one guy died, I wasn't very sad that he died. I didn't really care what happened to any of the characters. The first like 10-15 minutes were sweet, but the movie went downhill from there. The camera shots were okay, but it made me kind of dizzy. I didn't like the blurry shots that came in and out of focus either. Not my style. Nice effort though.
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An entertaining if fairly average heist action film. It features a pretty decent line up of actors with rappers T.I. and Chris Brown included. It tries to be very cool, slick but it lacks the style and quality of Heat or Ocean's Eleven. Top marks for trying to compete with those… More
An entertaining if fairly average heist action film. It features a pretty decent line up of actors with rappers T.I. and Chris Brown included. It tries to be very cool, slick but it lacks the style and quality of Heat or Ocean's Eleven. Top marks for trying to compete with those and if you like films along those lines then you should enjoy this as well.
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Coolest cops-and-robbers flick as the new generations of <i>Heat</i>. The cast were amazing and the action was great. On the positive side from the cast, Matt Dillon and Jay Hernández have a good chemistry with each other as the tenacious policemen chasing the thieves, and… More
Coolest cops-and-robbers flick as the new generations of <i>Heat</i>. The cast were amazing and the action was great. On the positive side from the cast, Matt Dillon and Jay Hernández have a good chemistry with each other as the tenacious policemen chasing the thieves, and on the other side of the law, I can say the same about Idris Elba...and Paul Walker.
The extended car chases and shootouts contain a level of energy and suspense that really makes them standout, comparable to similar scenes in the above mentioned films. Highlights for me where it got stimulating and raw were the fight scene with Hayden Christensen and Chris Brown had a great chase scene where he is jumping over cars & doing acrobatic flips. Very entertaining.
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I'll give it to Takers, at least it tries to be a good movie. In fact it is ambitious enough to proclaim itself the next Heat. Even though this is nowhere near the result, I appreciate that effort was put into this. Some of the cast really works together and would've made a… More
I'll give it to Takers, at least it tries to be a good movie. In fact it is ambitious enough to proclaim itself the next Heat. Even though this is nowhere near the result, I appreciate that effort was put into this. Some of the cast really works together and would've made a great movie had it no been for T.I., Chris Brown or a roided out Matt Dillon. Had it just been Hayden Christensen, Idris Elba and Michael Ealy with some more Zoe Saldana there would have been a really nice action/heist movie. The end result here is some cool moments and cool characters, but some really bad moments and some really bad characters. Luckily it looks pretty good and the actual heist is nicely strung together.
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It felt like it tried too hard to be cool! lol It was like a want-a-be Oceans 11. Jay Hernandez and T.I. (surprisingly) are the only noteworthy performances and the rest were phoned in - oh wait they e-mailed them in!! lol Scenes felt copied from "The Italian Job" and… More
It felt like it tried too hard to be cool! lol It was like a want-a-be Oceans 11. Jay Hernandez and T.I. (surprisingly) are the only noteworthy performances and the rest were phoned in - oh wait they e-mailed them in!! lol Scenes felt copied from "The Italian Job" and "Heat". There was just nothing original, but the great effort to be be cool and even with being cool - it fell short!
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This looks like the biggest piece of shit ever made, so ill see it. i mean look at the cast: CHRIS BROWN. yea. Chris Brown... oh, you want more? ok. T.I.... T. fucking I. i went and looked at T.I.'s bio or whatever you call it and it literally says, "T.I. is an actor as well… More
This looks like the biggest piece of shit ever made, so ill see it. i mean look at the cast: CHRIS BROWN. yea. Chris Brown... oh, you want more? ok. T.I.... T. fucking I. i went and looked at T.I.'s bio or whatever you call it and it literally says, "T.I. is an actor as well as a rapper." WOW. you can say that again! im seeing this piece of shit when it comes out, cause i wanna have my mind blown.
"We're takers, dawg. dats what we do for a living. we take."
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Brain-dead heist film that attempts to shove a lot of younger hip hop talent on the screen at the same time to sell tickets. I didn't do my research because I don't care to waste any more time on this film, but I hope it failed at the box office. <p>I hate when heist… More
Brain-dead heist film that attempts to shove a lot of younger hip hop talent on the screen at the same time to sell tickets. I didn't do my research because I don't care to waste any more time on this film, but I hope it failed at the box office. <p>I hate when heist films start off by showing you how meticulous and careful our "takers" are, yet a reckless plan comes along and our cautious robbers are all for it. The director might as well have plastered a big sign to the audience that says "haha you're stupid."<p>Speaking of stupid, did anyone see T.I.'s acting? Stiff and pathetic... do you know that feeling you get when you're trying really hard not to laugh? Like biting your lip and talking funny? Well that's how T.I. acts... sad thing is, there's probably a really talented, aspiring actor some where who could've knocked that performance out of the park. What a cheap trick to sell tickets.<p>I do like Idris Elba, but he was out of place here. The story was easy to follow, but it's nothing new. It steals key ideas from superior films.<p>And nothing dooms a film more than plugging Paul Walker into these younger, hip movies. He's a joke, c'mon Hollywood, give it a rest....
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Takers is a coherent mess of a film. With a cast of future has beens, it's only natural. I thought that the film was very poorly stitched together and I knew right from the first ten minutes that this film would suck beyond belief. I was checking my watch every 10 minutes or so… More
Takers is a coherent mess of a film. With a cast of future has beens, it's only natural. I thought that the film was very poorly stitched together and I knew right from the first ten minutes that this film would suck beyond belief. I was checking my watch every 10 minutes or so because I was absolutely bored with this piece of garbage. I caught a few bits here and they used elements from previous heist films such as Heat and the remake of The Italian Job. I mean using the C4 to blow a whole in the street so that the robbers can steal the loot, thats lifted right from The Italian Job, right? Although they tried to cleverly hide the plagiarism by creating a different exit route, not only that but they basically copied the ending to the film Heat, although this time around it's the cop who gets shot. Takers tries absolutely nothing new or exciting. The film is a terrible attempt at getting talentless actors and even less talented rappers turned actors act in a heist film. The best way to summarize Takers is that it tries to be a hipper, cooler version of Heat for the Jersey Shore generation. The film suffers greatly from a cliched plot, poorly developed characters, bad acting and poor dialogue. The director obviously wanted the film to focus more on the action than on the story, which in my opinion was a huge mistake. The reason that Heat and The Town were so great was because not only were the action scenes well executed, but the scenes in between heists were well crafted with enough drama and buildup to satisfy the audience. Takers deliberately takes a different approach by toning down the storytelling was a bad mistake. There is no redeeming factor about the film. The film is a bad attempt at combining the best heist films into one "hip" film, but the thing is there's nothing Hip or cool about Takers. Takers is bad, and is a film that we've all seen before, many times before in fact. Tries far too hard to be Heat, but successfully fails at every turn. Avoid this film like the plague and watch Heat, The Town, The Italian Job instead. Skip this piece of shit, it truly is crap.
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Takers boasts a ton of cool action scenes, but the characters are undeveloped and dull. However, the actors who actually put their all in their roles come out with all barrels blazing! The story was probably thought of in one day by producer Tip 'T.I' Harris, and the… More
Takers boasts a ton of cool action scenes, but the characters are undeveloped and dull. However, the actors who actually put their all in their roles come out with all barrels blazing! The story was probably thought of in one day by producer Tip 'T.I' Harris, and the screenplay was most likely written in a matter of weeks. It is a pretty basic movie with a bunch of action, setting the bar in it's category, but there is just something missing. It begins with a heist that leaves you extremely involved, but then lets up when it's time for the climax. The last 40 minutes of the film may be intense as hell, and start to make you believe in the characters involved, but that just is not quite enough for me to give this a high recommendation. I still say check out Takers for what it is, but it's more of a movie for a bunch of teenage guys to sit around and watch. Overall, Takers met my expectations on action and emotion, but I was hoping for so much more than I received. It's a bunch of big actors thrown into a little heist movie, but it's done with style. It is still a pretty good movie, as long as you don't mind dumb fun!
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If your in the mood for a heist movie with a younger,hip cast, then this is for you. If your in the mood for a really good heist movie, you can do a lot better.
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What starts out as a rather mundane and unoriginal looking bank heist film actually turns out to be pretty good as things progress. The reason is the group of characters that are well portrayed by the cast, each one is interesting and adds to the group and story making it a great… More
What starts out as a rather mundane and unoriginal looking bank heist film actually turns out to be pretty good as things progress. The reason is the group of characters that are well portrayed by the cast, each one is interesting and adds to the group and story making it a great team/elite unit flick. Hayden Christensen, Michael Ealy, Paul Walker and Idris Elba of 'Losers' fame are the main members here and really do well with their characters, it actually feels like another 'Losers' film...just urban set.
The action is actually alittle sparse but what you do get is nicely done, a pretty cool 'chase on foot' sequence and the setups for the heists being well thought out and having good dialog in the process, its never boring. Think of this as a more fun version of 'The Town' maybe mixed with alittle 'Point Break' and without the lame Affleck, basic but a good romp.
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A good cast wasted. The story is ok, but it feels like a poor mans Heat. For the people in it, the acting is suprising bad, but I would put that down more to the script than their genuine ability.
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It's Heat for the next generation. It's one cool as hell edge of your seat thriller. It's smart. sharp, stylish and exhilarating from beginning to end. A full-throttle action-packed thrill-ride that has it all and keeps your adrenaline pumping through every… More
It's Heat for the next generation. It's one cool as hell edge of your seat thriller. It's smart. sharp, stylish and exhilarating from beginning to end. A full-throttle action-packed thrill-ride that has it all and keeps your adrenaline pumping through every heart-pounding and incredibly exciting moment. It's loaded with scorching suspense, explosive action, style, cool, great characters and unstoppable thrills. It's a breathlessly exciting and frequently pulse-pounding twist-a-minute action movie that you will love. It's Heat meets The Italian Job. A slick, well-crafted, wickedly smart. fast and furiously entertaining. A heist film that snaps and crackles with blistering tension and eye-popping stunts. A terrific movie. A tremendous and sizzling all-star cast that deliver the goods. Matt Dillon is terrific. Idris Elba is fantastic. Jay Hernandez is excellent. Paul Walker is sensational. Michael Ealy is dynamite. A non-stop roller-coaster ride of awesome fun and hard-boiled excitement. A red-hot heist film that will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very end.
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I went in not expecting to really care about this movie, but wow, I was surprised. I sort of love it! The guys were great and yes...they all looked pretty damn good. Haha...But that is not why I enjoyed it so much. The chemistry within the group was there and I found the characters… More
I went in not expecting to really care about this movie, but wow, I was surprised. I sort of love it! The guys were great and yes...they all looked pretty damn good. Haha...But that is not why I enjoyed it so much. The chemistry within the group was there and I found the characters to be likable. It was nice to see their world and how they did their jobs...I definitely recommend this.
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i almost missed this as it resembled a d-list caper movie, but i was so wrong. clean, crisp and cracklin', this baby rolls onto the screen and doesn't let go from start to finish. included in all the action is a baby tour of good old los angeles, worth the price of… More
i almost missed this as it resembled a d-list caper movie, but i was so wrong. clean, crisp and cracklin', this baby rolls onto the screen and doesn't let go from start to finish. included in all the action is a baby tour of good old los angeles, worth the price of admission alone. more guts than "the expendables" w/o the hype by far.
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Pretty good movie, the story is decently good enough to go along with all the action it has. Acting was not a factor because there wasn't any A-list actors so all you had was B-list actors doing there best. Ending wasn't quite as good but it was an all-around great movie to… More
Pretty good movie, the story is decently good enough to go along with all the action it has. Acting was not a factor because there wasn't any A-list actors so all you had was B-list actors doing there best. Ending wasn't quite as good but it was an all-around great movie to watch and enjoy.
seasoned team of bank robbers, including Gordon Jennings (Idris Elba), John Rahway (Paul Walker), A.J. (Hayden Christensen), and brothers Jake (Michael Ealy) and Jesse Attica (Chris Brown) successfully complete their latest heist and lead a life of luxury while planning their next job. When Ghost (Tip T.I. Harris), a former member of their team, is released from prison he convinces the group to strike an armored car carrying $20 million. As the "takers" carefully plot out their strategy and draw nearer to exacting the grand heist, a reckless police officer (Matt Dillon) inches closer to apprehending the criminals.
Read all 20 featured audience ratings
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