The Take (2007)

Memorable, crazy movie

Don't Believe the Hype

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

I got bored several months ago and I saw that this movie was in the instant section, so I watched it. I had never heard of the movie, but I did like the cast. Wow. What an incredible movie. This is a rather slow paced, low budget indie movie directed by Brad Furman (who recently directed the Lincoln Lawyer, another excellent movie). The film tells the story of Felix De le Pena, an armored truck driver who gets shot in the head by a criminal named Adell Baldwin during a robbery. The film revolves around Felix's recovery and the investigation of the robbery. Bobby Carnavale plays a cop investigating the crime, while Rosie Perez plays the wife of Felix. The film ends with an intense and exciting climatic scene. I loved this movie. I thought it was very well made and well executed.

No spoilers here. What could have been a good, gritty L.A. crime/revenge flick was spoiled by SLOW pacing and the ridiculously overused shaky camera technique and grainy and way-too-dark (to put it mildly!) final cut. I'm not an expert on film, so I don't know what you would call this extremely washed-out look, but it spoiled the movie. Many scenes were so dark as to be completely unwatchable. I am SO SICK of these "hip", modern film techniques. What is so awful about not shaking the camera and allowing viewers to actually see what's going on?If any aspiring filmmakers are reading this, take it from me (a total movie junkie): STOP SHAKING THE CAMERA! STOP WASHING OUT THE COLORS! The story and acting are what matters to us. Please stop trying to bring attention to the direction. I've been a professional musician my entire adult life, and to me a film director should be like a good bass player: If the song sounds right and I don't notice anything wrong, then he's doing a great job!

Felix De La Pena (John Leguizamo) works as a bank driver, and he lives in the slums of Los Angeles with his wife Marina (Rosie Perez) and his two children. He's caring, compassionate and the perfect husband and father.Until he's threatened by Adell Baldwin (Tyrese Gibson) and is shot and left for dead. When he awakens from his coma, he's a different man - angry, vengeful.Agent Steve Perelli (Bobby Cannavale) is trying to solve the case, and realizes that it might've been an inside job, so he immediately suspects Felix. Felix then goes out and tries to find the people really responsible for what happened, before he takes the rap for it."The Take" is different from most action movies, because it focuses more on Felix's relationship with his family rather than the intense hunt for the people responsible for changing his life. It's not about big car chases, huge explosions and mob war - it's about a man faced with a new outlook on life, struggling to clear his name and find out who is really responsible.

This movie was the best flick I have seen in years. Both the acting & directing were phenomenal. Anyone who has posted negative comments about "The Take" is a complete fool and must be delusional or something. The director of this movie, Brad Furman is a genius. His unique style of portraying the characters in the film and the way the camera work was done was amazing. The directing was truly on the cutting edge, and was most definitely ahead of its time. John Leguizamo was truly amazing in the film and his performance may have been one of his best ever. Bottom line is the movie was the bomb and I would recommend definitely checking it out!