vostf Bastille Day, as it was originally titled for release, is so badly crafted it never reaches the status of a real action feature film. On the whole it is hardly worth more than direct-to-video stuff.Sure action scenes are well done and some plot twists are nice, but the result is just a rushed up series of action scenes and transition/exposition talk scenes. To me it looks like the director is good at shooting music videos or short clips but is totally at a loss with the idea of creating a real rhythm spanning 90 minutes or so.Idris Elba is underused, as usual in movies, so he is not able to bring much more life to that stubborn reckless character. The rest of the cast is OK, they also have very little to work on.Worst of all is the plot. Although some twists revealing part of it are good, in the end it only succeeds in being both nauseous and stupid. Bastille Day graduates here into the Z movie realm: just don't be fooled by the budget and competent cast, producers wanted a quickie and they got what they deserved with this stinking quickie.

McEwansExported Cross between Bourne and Bond in a good way but only because of Idris who held the plot together and papered over the cracks in some of the other characters weaknesses.That said, there were plenty of twists and turns in the story line and the action sequences were slick. There was no sensationalism to the way Idris played his role which meant he was believable and a CIA operative.Overall, the film is good entertainment and good acting from lead character.

amesmonde A young pickpocket and a unorthodox CIA agent find themselves working together to prevent another terrorist attack in France.Tragic real life terrorist events caused Bastille Day to be renamed The Take in the UK and events sent it somewhat into obscurity with the marketing toned down. Director James Watkins offers a well thought- out action thriller in the vein of Die Hard and the best of Luc Besson. The Take is a surprising piece of entertainment with a few twists thrown in for good measure in what could have been a simple frustrating actioner. Not only are the action fight setups impressive writer Andrew Baldwin's story cleverly gives a broad stroke insight into terrorism, activists and corruption. Even with its shootouts, punch ups and chases it's not action for action sake, it is plot driven.The characters are shades of grey, packed with screen presence Idris Elba is on fine form as hardened agent Sean Briar. Richard Madden (of Game of Thrones fame) is pickpocket Michael who is at the wrong place at the wrong time and who gets accused of being a bomber gives a solid performance. The array of supporting actors especially the bad guys are quiet developed and add some weight to the story. Notable are memorable José Garcia as Victor and Thierry Godard's Rafi.It's no Leon or Bourne but it's up in the the action thriller scale of the likes of London has Fallen, From Paris with Love, but the on location feel to the underside of the French capitol to Watkins' credit gives the film its own unique look and down to earth credence compared to the latter. The Take has characters that you can care about tide up in a very compelling yarn.Overall, it's well filmed and entertaining, hopefully it'll find itself with a sequel as the chemistry dynamic of the selfless subtle two leads works well. Predicable at times but recommended.

toddxdavis Contrived. Boring. The French to English subtitle translations are heavily Americanized, French don't speak the way this movie shows because it was made to fit the audienceSome scenes where Idris is running or fighting it's easy to see as his interview fir a possible Bond role. The story is not cohesive, zero intrigue, poor acting, and an over attempt to play to current topics make this a disjointed story. It tries to compensate fir lack of substance by faster action and a handful of too-clever moments. There are hundreds of questions and very few answers. My best guess is the movie was made to showcase Elba. He is pitted against the French CIA or some similar agency with moderately witty dialog. The same story of the solo American who is better than the entire foreign department of spies. Skip the movies