Takers - B

On DVD and Blu-ray
107 minutes, PG-13 (!)

A bank robbery crew (Chris Brown, Hayden Christensen, Paul Walker, Idris Elba, and Michael Ealy) reunite with a former member (T.I.) who's just been released from jail. He plans a huge score for the crew but things don't go accordingly. Meanwhile, two cops (Matt Dillon and Jay Hernandez - both excellent) are trying to put the crew away . . .

It's clear early on that director John Luessenhop is shamelessly ripping off Heat, both with subject matter and with style (the cold blue and silver colors) and then he "borrows" this song from The Insider for a crucial scene. And this couldn't be more up my alley. But the film is woefully lacking in character development and some actors (like Zoe Saldana and Christensen) seem to have the bulk of their work left on the cutting room floor. The film just scratches the surface on some important characters - so the emotional impact is dampened.

But what's left is a tough, entertaining, and exciting modern crime drama. You really feel the punches and gunshots. There are 30-40 terrific minutes beginning with the armed truck heist, continuing with a foot chase, and ending with a True Romance-style hotel room shoot-out. It appears to be made for a generation who haven't seen any movies older than Wedding Crashers. The music is good, especially the opening track that sets the mood perfectly. Takers is Michael Mann-lite, but I happen to love Michael Mann, and these homagers don't embarrass themselves at all. This will get a ton of play on cable TV. B