TAKERS (USA 2010) **
Directed by John Luessenhop

Half way during the execution of an armoured car heist in the movie, one suddenly realizes that something is amiss in all the excitement.  No one has bothered to explain what is going on and how the heist was to be executed in the first place.

This goes for most of the story and action segments in director John Luessenhop’s otherwise impressively edited crime action thriller.  In TAKERS, most of the characters are takers.  They – the cops, the Russian mob and the African Americans take what is available; loot, money women and a piece of any action.  There is double cross or rather there are triple crosses but nothing is explained to the audience until too late.

A group of five exceptional bank robbers have been able to successfully rob several banks with such perfect execution that the police do not have a single clue to capture them. But their meticulous planning of robbing banks is thrown out the window, because of the large amount of cash they will split. This may be the break the police have been waiting for, with cops Jack Welles (Matt Dillon) and Eddie (Jay Hernandez) looking for their big break.  Worst, one of the planners have involved the Russian mob in the scheme of things.  The robbery is botched by timing being off resulting in all the three groups clashing together in a climax that includes a three men shootout, in the style of THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY.

By the time the film reaches the three men standoff, the story gets silly (this can be observed by the audience’s laughter during the promo screening).  Lessenhop is unable to maintain the tension of the film’s middle.  Most of the action occurs with the explanation given later.  It is hard to get involved with the execution of the heist when the audience is unaware of how the heist is to be carried out.  Narrative is weak and the script contains too many characters.  The audience is also supposed to feel sympathetic for both the cops and the robbers.

All this is a pity as Luessenhop has shot and magnificently edited one of the most exciting on foot chases on film this year – one that involves a chase through heavy traffic through the streets and in a busy office building.  If Luessenhop treated the film as the robbers planned their job with clockwork precision, being extremely careful in not leaving any evidence or loose ends behind, TAKERS would have emerged as the action film of the year!