Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

A charming pickpocket, a CIA agent with unorthodox practices and a bunch of villains who can mysteriously infiltrate swat teams pretty much tell what the movie is all about. The one dimensional, dispassionate, taciturn antihero character initially looked funny with Arny starring in Terminator movies and alike. However, when others (Van Damme, Rock, etc.) started to mimic the same wooden acting style, they looked and became outright boring. In this cheesy action movie, the "cool", disinterested acting of Idris Elba evokes the same bad feelings. The plot is so predictable that the pace of the unfolding events always lags behind your guess. This is an action movie that I fell asleep in the last 20 min. or so. The only good thing about it is some nice Paris scenes in the background.

Originally titled 'Bastille Day', however due to a recent attack at the time of its release it was apt to rename this crime thriller. Regardless, changing the title cannot amend the noticeable flaws that hinder what could've been an exciting thrill ride. A thief, gifted with sleight of hand talents, steals a bag which happens to contain a bomb. Now on the run from governmental agencies, he teams up with an American agent to stop the real perpetrators. There is a political message hiding beneath the action, revolutionising against fascism. Riots spawn, security increase and Idris Elba running across rooftops as he protects the Parisian streets from terrorism. I think we can all learn from him in one way or another. But yes, revolutionary message aside this is simply just generic and unfortunately rather forgettable. Elba is a leading actor, we've seen his capabilities before and to some extent he is the main appeal here. The hand-to-hand choreography is well executed, although haphazardly edited occasionally, and does enhance the action required to elevate the story. Madden on the other hand is a beautiful creature, but that's not enough to redeem the monotony in his acting. Le Bon and Reilly were criminally underused, particularly the latter. The plot is easy enough to follow for the average viewer however doesn't exactly provide many thrills for those who have watched similar films before. And that's the main issue, its genericism doesn't differentiate itself above the rest making it quickly forgettable. One twist was well executed however the rest of the plot was predictable. On the flip side, it's a well structured narrative that makes its ninety minute runtime fly by. Even if the first and second acts are uninspired cat and mouse chases. Overall, The Take simply just takes up your time giving you limited thrills. Clean direction, serviceable acting and well executed action can't save a dull predictable plot. Oh, and stay for the credits song, our boy Elba is also musically talented!

The action runs at full throttle throughout from Paris rooftop pursuit, a bomb, car chases, several full-on fights, to a bank robbery in the midst of a riot.The acting is solid, the dialogue not bad and the characters just a bit more than two dimensional. The story is quite convoluted but not too hard to follow, if a little predictable in places. Talking of predictable, the bullet-proof all-American hero single- handedly solving the world's problems is a tiresome theme. Why must Hollywood consistently portray the rest of the world as stupid, inept, racist and corrupt? Self-projection maybe?

"The Take" (also known as "Bastille Day") is a solid thriller with creative action sequences and a stellar set of three characters.Idris Elba plays the role of Briar, a maverick CIA agent attempting to thwart terrorists on the loose in Paris. He links up with two civilians who assist him in holding off a terrorist plot on Bastille Day, France's celebration of independence in 1789.The two civilians are an American pickpocket played with deadpan humor by Richard Madden. A mousy Frenchwoman named Zoe (Charlotte Le Bon) also assists with inciting a mob at a crucial moment in the film.At the heart of the narrative is a plot by a group of rogue policemen, who plant a bomb, then falsely attribute the explosion to the members of a local mosque. The police conspirators go all the way to the top of the administration. The objective of their terrorist acts is not political; rather, their goal is an enormous heist of the French treasury! It is interesting that much of stock footage of Paris focused on churches, including the basilica of Sacre Coeur and the Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame. Indeed, the denouement of the film occurs inside a church. It was not clear what statement, if any, the filmmakers were intending with so much emphasis placed on the church.The action culminates in the modern equivalent of the original attack on the Bastille fortress, but, in this case, Zoe leads the crowd in attacking the national treasury in order to stop the police! In the bonus segment of the DVD, actors Idris Elba and Richard Madden discussed how they relished in playing these roles. The banter of the two characters and an amazing chase scene on top of the buildings of Paris make this action film one of the finer thrillers of 2016.