# Takers
**Takers** is a 2010 American heist action thriller directed by John Luessenhop and released by [Sony Pictures](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-pictures)' Screen Gems label, about a crew of professional bank robbers who take on one last armored-car job while a determined LAPD detective closes in.[1](https://saturation.io/budgets/takers) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/takers) It was formerly titled *Bone Deep* and was released nationwide on August 27, 2010.[3](https://www.movieinsider.com/m4511/takers)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / studio | John Luessenhop; Screen Gems (Sony Pictures)[1](https://saturation.io/budgets/takers) |
| Release | Nationwide August 27, 2010; earlier title *Bone Deep*[3](https://www.movieinsider.com/m4511/takers) |
| Budget | $32,000,000, described as a large sum for a Screen Gems film[1](https://saturation.io/budgets/takers) • [4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-25-la-et-takers-20100825-story.html) |
| Principal cast | Matt Dillon, Idris Elba, Paul Walker, T.I., Chris Brown, Michael Ealy, Zoe Saldana, Hayden Christensen[5](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/movies/film-producer-will-packer-talks-about-takers/dzEEpzEAcj5Ob0Cpe6R4ZK/) |
| Runtime / rating | 107 minutes; rated PG-13[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/takers) |
| Critical scores | 28% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (113 reviews) with a 62% audience score; Metascore 45 on Metacritic[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/takers) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/takers/) |
| Box office | Gross of US$80,205,382 against the $32 million budget[7](https://filmradar.nl/waar-kijken/takers-2010) |
## Spoilers
### Plot and premise
The film follows Gordon Jennings ([Idris Elba](https://www.edgepedia.org/idris-elba)) and his friends, who fund a luxurious lifestyle through bank robberies and avoid capture by following a strict set of rules. As they celebrate a completed job, a former associate arrives with a plan to rob an armored car, drawing the crew into a collision with Russian mobsters and a detective ([Matt Dillon](https://www.edgepedia.org/matt-dillon)) determined to catch them.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/takers) Producer Will Packer described the crew as longtime friends who bankroll their extravagant lifestyle with one carefully planned bank robbery each year.[5](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/movies/film-producer-will-packer-talks-about-takers/dzEEpzEAcj5Ob0Cpe6R4ZK/)
The central job compresses the crew's usual preparation: the armored-car target must be hit in five days rather than the customary year they take between jobs for research and planning.[8](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/movie-review-takers/) The former associate, Ghost (T.I.), carries a grudge from being left to be arrested in a heist five years earlier, and his revenge scheme drives the later acts.[9](https://theurbanwire.sg/takers-review/)
## Production history
Development began in 2005 at [Screen Gems](https://www.edgepedia.org/screen-gems) under producer [Will Packer](https://www.edgepedia.org/will-packer)'s Rainforest Films, with screenwriter Avery Duff writing the initial draft of the heist screenplay. Screenwriters Peter Allen and Gabriel Casseus joined for rewrites, and Luessenhop received a final shared screenplay credit alongside Duff.[1](https://saturation.io/budgets/takers) The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the script had circulated in Hollywood for about ten years, with Packer working on it for three.[5](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/movies/film-producer-will-packer-talks-about-takers/dzEEpzEAcj5Ob0Cpe6R4ZK/)
**A long development.** The Los Angeles Times recounted that Luessenhop, a lawyer-turned-director whose earlier credits included episodes of *America's Most Wanted* and the 2000 independent prison drama *Lockdown*, was about to start filming when his young son suffered a seizure and stopped breathing. Screen Gems kept him attached and waited roughly three years while he cared for the boy; he returned and directed the film in late 2008.[4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-25-la-et-takers-20100825-story.html) Casting changed along the way: T.I. replaced [Tyrese Gibson](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyrese-gibson), and Idris Elba replaced [Terrence Howard](https://www.edgepedia.org/terrence-howard).[4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-25-la-et-takers-20100825-story.html)
Filming took place in Los Angeles between June 8 and September 5, 2009, and involved shutting down downtown streets for both the armored-car heist and the climactic rooftop chase. The film used real stunts, many performed by the actors themselves, and avoided computerized visual effects.[1](https://saturation.io/budgets/takers) • [4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-25-la-et-takers-20100825-story.html) The release date was postponed several times, once because T.I. served eight months in jail on charges related to purchasing machine guns and silencers, which prevented him from doing publicity.[4](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-25-la-et-takers-20100825-story.html) Packer said the production was entering pre-production when T.I.'s arrest occurred, and that he and Screen Gems agreed to wait for him.[5](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/movies/film-producer-will-packer-talks-about-takers/dzEEpzEAcj5Ob0Cpe6R4ZK/)
## Reception
Critics rated the film poorly on aggregate while praising its action. The Rotten Tomatoes critics consensus states that *Takers* "boasts some gripping set pieces and keeps things moving quickly, but its two-dimensional characters, clichéd script, and brazenly derivative plot make it hard to recommend"; the site recorded 28% on the Tomatometer from 113 reviews against a 62% audience score.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/takers) Metacritic assigned a Metascore of 45, based on 20 critic reviews, categorized as mixed or average.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/takers/)
Reviewers repeatedly compared the film to [Michael Mann](https://www.edgepedia.org/michael-mann)'s crime cinema. The [New York Post](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-york-post) called it "a Michael Mann-ish heist thriller with a pulse-pounding foot chase and some terrific stunt work offsetting its hackneyed plot and dialogue," and Variety described it as "a respectable but watered-down heist movie" that, given its Los Angeles setting, either owes a debt to Mann or resembles a violent episode of *Entourage*.[10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/takers/critic-reviews/) [The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-hollywood-reporter) praised the stunt work and breathless pace,[10](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/takers/critic-reviews/) while the UrbanWire singled out a parkour escape sequence performed by Chris Brown's character as the film's highlight.[9](https://theurbanwire.sg/takers-review/) Common criticisms included stock characters, subplots that slowed the action, and an ambiguous ending.[8](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/movie-review-takers/) • [11](https://www.kqed.org/arts/32105/takers_they_shouldnt_make_em_like_this_anymore)
Against the $32 million production cost, the film grossed US$80,205,382.[7](https://filmradar.nl/waar-kijken/takers-2010)
## Home media and availability
The film was released on DVD on January 18, 2011.[12](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/takers/30774/where-to-watch/) Sony Pictures lists it as available on Digital, Blu-ray, and DVD.[13](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/takers) In the United States it streams on the Sony Pictures Core Amazon Channel, Apple TV, and [YouTube TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/youtube-tv), with rentals starting at $3.99; availability varies by region, and it is not on Netflix in the US.[12](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/takers/30774/where-to-watch/)
## References
1. [Takers (2010) Budget: $32M Production Cost, Saturation.io](https://saturation.io/budgets/takers)
2. [Takers, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/takers)
3. [Everything You Need to Know About Takers Movie (2010), MovieInsider](https://www.movieinsider.com/m4511/takers)
4. [The wait is over for 'Takers' director John Luessenhop, Los Angeles Times (Aug. 25, 2010)](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-aug-25-la-et-takers-20100825-story.html)
5. [Film producer Will Packer talks about 'Takers', The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Aug. 25, 2010)](https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/movies/film-producer-will-packer-talks-about-takers/dzEEpzEAcj5Ob0Cpe6R4ZK/)
6. [Takers Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/takers/)
7. [Takers (2010), FilmRadar Netherlands](https://filmradar.nl/waar-kijken/takers-2010)
8. [Movie Review: Takers, CBS Philadelphia](https://www.cbsnews.com/philadelphia/news/movie-review-takers/)
9. [Takers Review, The UrbanWire](https://theurbanwire.sg/takers-review/)
10. [Takers critic reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/movie/takers/critic-reviews/)
11. ['Takers': They Shouldn't Make 'Em Like This Anymore, KQED](https://www.kqed.org/arts/32105/takers_they_shouldnt_make_em_like_this_anymore)
12. [Takers (2010) - Where to Watch, Moviefone](https://www.moviefone.com/movie/takers/30774/where-to-watch/)
13. [TAKERS, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/takers)
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