The Take

Before it undergoes one of the most jarring thematic shifts in recent history, The Take comes off as a gripping little thriller that boasts a surprisingly strong performance from star John Leguizamo. (Tyrese Gibson, on the other hand, is as ineffective as ever and saddled with some seriously ridiculous fake teeth.) Leguizamo plays Felix De La Pena, an armored-truck driver who’s left for dead after a vicious thug (Gibson’s Adell Baldwin) shoots him in the head during a robbery attempt. After emerging from a long coma, Felix’s crumbling mental state is exacerbated by the revelation that the cops are looking at him for the crime. Director Brad Furman, working from Josh and Jonas Pate’s screenplay, has infused the early part of The Take with an appropriately jittery sensibility, and there’s ultimately little doubt that the film contains the seediest portrayal of Los Angeles since Harsh Times. The relentlessly gritty atmosphere works for a while, though there does reach a point at which Furman’s visuals become more distracting than anything else – with the movie’s transformation from thriller to low-key drama undoubtedly playing a significant role in this feeling. The wildly uneven structure eventually cancels out the movie’s positive attributes, while the inclusion of an almost incomprehensible third-act chase sequence leaves The Take with an awfully sour aftertaste.

** out of ****

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