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Movie Review: ‘Takers’

Jacob Morris — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 20:00:04 +0000

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The action/thriller film Takers is, plain and simple, the kind of movie you should go and watch if you have nothing better to do and are looking for an OK combination of cheap laughs and overly dramatic sequences.

Making up the roster of thieves are Hayden Christensen, Paul Walker, Idris Elba, Michael Ealy, rapper T.I. and R&B artist Chris Brown. Essentially a ‘taker’ is, as described very directly in the movie, someone who takes things for a living.

The plot is simple: After the takers take a lot of money from a bank, they say they’re done. Then T.I., who used to be a taker gets out of prison and tries to convince his old taker pals that they should take some more. Despite their rule of only taking once a year, they’re quickly swayed to believe their vindictive friend has got their backs still.

I think that the entire movie can be simplified to one moment, when it’s mentioned that the crew is going to take down an armored truck like in The Italian Job. The only problem is that The Italian Job actually does an adequate job of fulfilling what action fans want, where as Takers seems to fall a little flat.

The way the movie is constructed disengages audiences from the story; instead of sticking to the main heist that is planned and carried out, there are so many different stories occurring that it’s really hard to follow—and it doesn’t come together well in the end, the end just sort of happens.

There multiple subplots are so unnecessary, and subsequently they’re hard to take seriously. They range from the marital problems of the poorly characterized protagonist cop, Matt Dillon, as well as his partner’s struggles with his son’s serious illness all the way to the rehab that one of the takers’ sisters is going through. There is just so much going on that you begin to ask yourself, “whaaaaat?”

Now, it’s not that Takers doesn’t attempt to portray a quality, action-filled crime story; the problem is that it tries a little too hard. Sitting in the theatre, the parts of the movie that were obviously intended to be dramatic were received with huge bouts of laughter from the audience.

Despite it having all of the components of a great action movie—Guns, private rooftop and balcony talks, chases, planes, money, and quirky Russians who love vodka—Takers falls a little short and definitely won’t be the best movie you see this summer.

Movie Review: ‘Salt’

Jacob Morris — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:34:07 +0000

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Between improvised rocket launchers, highway chases that include several truck jumps, secret identities, and a very high body count, Salt is a movie that will have you highly entertained throughout the whole film.

Angelina Jolie stars as the highly trained CIA agent, Evelyn Salt, a character who takes advantage of every opportunity to showcase the unbelievably awesome skills that you would expect such a character to possess. However, it’s not just the awesomeness of Evelyn Salt that makes this movie entertaining; it’s a combination of the action and the elaborate and twisting plot—that keeps you guessing until the very end— that will have audiences coming out.

The movie really gets going early on when Salt flees a CIA building after a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy with a plot to assassinate the Russian president. The line between friend and foe is blurred early on and the true identity of Salt becomes the unanswered question that keeps the story moving.

After Salt runs, what follows is a fast paced story told through director Phillip Noyce’s incredible action sequences and complicated through Kurt Wimmer’s script. Although Salt is most entertaining for the action, there is also an attempt at some political undertones reminiscent of the Cold War woven into the background of the story. This acts as a base for the plot, but as is the case with the most films in the genre, it isn’t as important as the thrill of the action.

A lot is packed into the hour and a half it takes to tell the story in Salt. Right from the beginning Evelyn Salt is portrayed as a character that means business when it comes to making any body that gets in her way hit the floor. It’s quickly realized after the inciting incident that Evelyn Salt may not be who she says she is, or who other people say she is for that matter, and that’s the fun of the movie. Salt keeps audiences guessing until the very end.

One downside to the film is that it’s over so quickly and it feels like some of the loose ends haven’t been tied up, but if you’re looking for a good quality, fast-paced action movie then Salt is definitely for you. Salt is the kind of movie that sucks you in and keeps you wondering how it’s all going to come together at the end and you’ve got to take it for what it is—a great action movie.

Two More Join Sylvester Stallone Action Epic

Eva Lam — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 19:10:34 +0000

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Brittany Murphy (“Sin City”) and David Zayas (TV’s “Dexter”) have been cast in “The Expendables,” an upcoming action feature directed and written by Sylvester Stallone.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the two will appear alongside a generation-spanning who’s who of tough-guy actors, including Jason Statham, Mickey Rourke, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Randy Couture and Stallone himself.

The movie revolves around a team of mercenaries who set out to overthrow a South American dictator, played by Zayas.

Murphy will play the singer-girlfriend of Rourke’s character, a role for which she is expected to perform a musical number.

Production for the film began this past week in Brazil.