What is there to say about Takers? Where to begin? How could I possibly put into words how big and awesome this movie was? This was perhaps one of the biggest films because they had so much eye candy for women and so many explosions for men. It was a win-win and few studios get that kind of draw. See: Magic Mike. But Takers was truly a marvel to behold. Well, here goes trying!

Takers begins with a heist about to take place, only we don't know. We just see a bunch of good looking guys eye balling each other and nodding to each other so it's obvious they're planning something together, we just don't know what. Then they meet at the construction level to rendezvous, get into a change of clothes, and carry out their plans. Watching this, I thought it was well executed but watching it more times only made me roll my eyes. I mean, construction level? Been there, done that. I know it's the only plausible way they could change and things like that. I don't know, maybe I would just like to see something different.

So they change, they take over the bank, they have everything planned, they get through it, and we have a cop on the roof who's just standing there. Now we're supposed to be screaming for his help and a news helicopter comes in and he hijacks and I'll admit, this was very well crafted. I haven't seen every movie ever made but I don't think I've ever seen a getaway quite like that. Then they go to their little club and they're celebrating their spoils at another job well done.

First we have Gordon Cozier, played by Idris Elba. I'm not 100% sure, don't take my word for it, but this is probably one of the only times he's ever acted with his accent. When I heard him speak, I was like whoa! What? He has an accent? Since when? I get that American TV want American accents. It just works better with our audiences because then writers have to waste a page or two just talking about where the actor came from to explain the accent. However, if they have an American one they can keep it pushing. So I get why he acts with an American accent, but his English one is just too darn cute. It's like why don't you act ALL the time with it?

Gordon is sort of the leader of the pack. He was there to start it, to give the commands where needed, to decide whether or not to go with it. I like his understated way of acting. He's the calm, cool guy who likes to observe and assess the situation before jumping into it. But when it came down to it, he'd get just as mean and deadly with the rest of the group. And when it came to his sister, he had no problem being the bigger protective little brother. For those of you who have seen the movie, can anyone explain the role of his sister? To me, that was just wasted screen time and an excuse to have a woman in the movie to shut up the feminists who would oppose an all male cast.

She popped up at random times, always distracted her brother, and was the whole reason Matt Dillon's character got hooked on Gordon and the gang. Then towards the end, she's just sleeping in the car, and I'm like wow, this is such a cop out on the writers' part. This isn't to discredit them, but I think without the sister the whole movie would have fell apart and I think they could have handled the transit of information a whole lot better. Because beside blowing the whistle on the group, his sister served absolutely no purpose. Played amazingly by Marianne Jean-Baptiste, I'm sorry, I just really didn't think her character was necessary. It was a cop out. Yet bouncing off of Idris Elba, I could see how they would be brother and sister, so it was smart casting there.


Next we have John Rahway played by Paul Walker. Paul Walker has been making his mark on action movies with the Fast and Furious franchise. So it was no doubt that Paul was going to bring it in this movie. He's sort of like the second in command when it comes to decision making. He weighs both odds and see how it goes, but he's also loyally devout to Gordon. Paul plays his character with a masculinity that isn't there in the Fast and Furious movies which is obvious because Vin Diesel has that role in the bag. But he has his tough guy face on in the movie and it's really nice to see him step up from a follower to a leader. He comes in the room to beat up guys, he's a sniper, overall he just gets things done. It was a nice and subtle shift for Paul Walker. He really is a gifted actor and it's obvious in this movie. And his car in this movie was HOT!



Next we have A.J. played beautifully by Hayden Christensen. He was brought to fame by his famous drama series when he was younger but also by landing the role of Luke Skywalker which he played amazingly as well. From there he sort of dropped off main stream movies which is understandable. He went on to do movies like Awake and Jumper and other things but then he pops up on Takers. I guess he was just ready to hop back on the radar because really, he is a beautiful actor. He's one of the rare types that actually disappears into his roles and fully embodies what his characters do.

A.J. is the laid back one of the group. He's the too cool for school character who takes everything in stride and just sort of goes along with whatever the group decides. He was the cop at the beginning of the movie and even then, he was leaning against the rail and when it's just him in the scene, it's sort of like he's moving in slow motion. That's how cool he is. But don't take this to mean that he doesn't have his meaty role in the movie. He's the explosives genius in the group. He knows where things go and how much of what to put. And this was also smart casting because though Hayden is skinny and laid back in this movie, he can bring the fists with the best of them. There's a scene where he's fighting with the guys selling the C-4 they need for the armored truck job. He threw down and I wasn't expecting his skill. I literally sat there thinking "wow, I didn't know he had it in him". Don't get me wrong, I've seen him in fighting scenes before but that was with light sabers. Hand to hand combat is different. Some actors look weird but it looked natural for him. So kudos to Hayden.


So then we get on to Jake Attica played by Michael Ealy. Ealy has been in a lot of things, all ranging from genre to genre so I I kept my mind open about his character. And he brought it. He plays a big brother really well. He'll ride or die for his little brother and this performance kind of hearkens back to his time as Ricky on Babershop. He kept things real and he was quick to temper once someone tried to step to him like they were crazy. What I liked about his character was the duality. On one side he was a big brother, looking out for what was his but on the other side he was a devoted boyfriend to Zoe Saldana's character. Again this was a cop out to have another female character and also to provide tension between Michael Ealy's character and T.I.'s character.

Once again, Michael Ealy didn't disappoint. I had a kick watching him on Common Law as the rowdy half of their little duo. So it was nice to see him assume such a role. I'm still not sure what his little specialty was for the group, he sort of just got in where he fit in. I will say though that he looked a little like an accountant in the movie. I think it was the hair and makeup, he just didn't look all that mean like the other characters, but he was handy with a gun. I'll give him that.



Next is Jesse Attica, played by Chris Brown. Now, I'm always a little skeptical when singers and rappers get into movies. Some can carry themselves but others, it's like stick to your craft. People can crossover, don't get me wrong, but in the case of Chris Brown, stick to your craft. There was a lot of buzz sticking to him because of him beating on Rihanna and that whole thing. Because of that he went to jail and you can tell they had to build the Takers schedule around that and the ending reflects it whole heartedly. His character is basically the little brother and the comic belief behind the whole movie. He has his few jokes in the movie and he makes a fatal mistake that costs them, but I will give him this. He did most of his stunts, so him running and hopping over cars is him. I doubt it was him jumping from the ledge, but most of it was him. You have to give credit for his dedication to the character. I'll give him that.



And we have Ghost played by T.I. Again, I have my reservations about rappers and singers getting into acting, but in the case of T.I. he really brought it. I've only seen him in ATL and he did such a good job there, I had to see his performance here. However, most people don't realize that he wasn't really acting in that movie. There was a part where he's pounding on his brother. That was acting but everything else was just him as a rapper in a understated way. He had his accent a little thicker than in Takers, and he was just a laid back kind of dude writing down his daily life. However in Takers, he really brought it. He played a charismatic deceitful guy who had his own agenda throughout the whole movie and though we knew what he was doing, it was a fun little trip watching him carry it out and waiting for him to get discovered. He sort of made you like that he played a butthole which is good acting on his part.