The Take - Two Decades in the Mafia - DVD

Film: London in the 1980s: Freddie Jackson (Tom Hardy) has just been released from prison. But the path of virtue he does not want to take now. Instead of repenting his past deeds and enjoying his freedom, Freddie plans to use the many contacts he made in prison to build an empire with his cousin Jimmy (Shaun Evans) as his right-hand man. The two quickly manage to build themselves a respectable position. While Freddie's wife Jackie (Kierston Wareing) suffers from her husband's renewed criminal activities and his constant whims, Freddie enjoys his new power to the fullest. But he has no idea that it's actually not him holding the reins, but legendary Godfather Ozzy (Brian Cox) pulling the strings from his prison cell. But even a powerful man like Ozzy can't stop Freddie from losing more and more control, endangering not only the family's business but also the lives of those close to Freddie...

The Take was directed as a four-part mini-series for British television and has been condensed into a three-hour film for the German DVD release. Based on the novel The Sister by British crime writer Martina Cole, director David Drury has created a gripping mafia epic that is carried by a very strong ensemble of actors. Tom Hardy (The Dark Knight Rises) in particular, who most recently made a lasting impression in the martial arts drama Warrior, delivers an almost frighteningly good performance as the conscienceless Freddie. He murders, humiliates, rapes Maggie (Charlotte Riley), his cousin's wife, and humiliates his own wife Jackie (Kierston Wareing) - all the while appearing to show no emotional emotion whatsoever. But gradually Freddie loses control of himself and his emotions, which Hardy brings to bear in his performance in an extremely believable way.

Although the rest of the cast all pale a little next to the strong leading man, the performances of Shaun Evans, Brian Cox, Kierston Wareing and especially Charlotte Riley are also of a very high standard. The acting of this ensemble quickly captivates the viewer and also consoles over the one or other small length in the story. Since the story covers a period of two decades, one might suspect that certain plot elements can't be given much time. But despite some big time jumps you never get the feeling that the movie rushes through the story or that the plot would be missing important parts. On the contrary: David Drury builds up the action carefully, so that the suspense screw is tightened only slowly, but all the more intensely. When it comes to an extremely dramatic event in the last third that works towards the consequent finale, the emotional impact of the story can really unfold thanks to this good build-up.

The Take is gritty, relentless, brutal and exciting. Those expecting a lot of action and gunplay will probably be disappointed. But if you are looking for a psychologically dense and excellently acted mafia thriller, you simply can't get past this high quality TV production. Absolutely worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The fact that The Take was staged for English television, the technical realization is indeed here and there noticeable, but does not really have a negative impact. The image is largely clean, the colour scheme supports the dark atmosphere of the story and the overall sharpness can at least convince in the brighter moments. In darker moments, on the other hand, noticeable image noise and slight blurring can be discerned from time to time. The audio allows the dialogue to come through very clearly, otherwise it's mostly limited to music and minor sound effects like gunshots, punches and other painful mob methods. Overall, there is still a decent for this: good!

Extras: Bonus material has the DVD not to offer.

Conclusion:The Take is a gripping and fascinatingly gritty Mafiathriller, which lives on the great performance of the main actor Tom Hardy. Here and there the film, staged as a TV mini-series, has small dramaturgical hangs, but overall the three hour running time flies by. Diving into the criminal milieu of Freddie Jackson is at once repulsive and disturbingly fascinating, from which the film draws enormous tension. Great actors also ensure that this technically well-executed DVD premiere, despite the lack of extras, can be warmly recommended to all lovers of good mafia thrillers. Recommendable

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp