Review of "Takers"

I had never heard of "Takers" until I walked into the theatre - I was out with friends, and they chose the movie. I was excited to have no preconceived conceptions or expectations for the movie, but decided about halfway through that it would have helped to at least know the basic premise before going in.

The movie revolves around a crew of "takers," who are essentially bank robbers. They all dress well, have fantastic cars, and have apparently never been caught. However, one former/current member of their crew has been caught, and is now out of jail for good behavior. Right after one large bank job, this member contacts the crew, and tells them of a once-in-a-lifetime heist that is happening in five days. This breaks their rules of always waiting two years in between heists, but they decide to do it anyways.

If you're wondering why there are no character names in that summary, it's because you're never quite sure what their names are. The whole movie feels very generic - an updated version of Ocean's 11 with more brawling and violence, and less charisma. There are some genuinely interesting scenes, however, as well as some great cinematic shots, and LA looks better on film than it does in real life. It's a fine way to spend two hours, but at the end of the day, I could take it or leave it.

Takers is rated PG-13, stars Matt Dillon, Paul Walker, Idris Elba, Chris Brown, T.I., Zoe Saldana, and Hayden Christensen. Directed by John Luessenhop and distributed by Sony Pictures.