Take(2008)- User Reviews

I rarely am motivated to write a review of a movie, but this one got me.

I found myself immersed from frame one. At no moment was there lag, and I felt continuously intrigued. Twists and turns kept the journey lively and intellectually stimulating.

Although not a "good times" movie for a fun date, it is perhaps great medicine for the world. As for the date, it will definitely keep you talking afterwards.

Masterful story telling from director Charles Oliver reads you as much as you read it, and one comes away with a different perspective on life. Miss Driver's portrayal of very tough scenes are sensitive and three dimensional, and far more so than I had seen from her previously. Indeed, some of movie-making's best ever. If you liked the situationally based emotional unraveling of 'Phonebooth', for example, you will love 'Take'.

As the darkest of subjects, 'Take' does not however relish in it's character's depravity or predicaments. Oliver's style elegantly presents exactly what he wishes you to see with wonderful subtle clues along the way. All this objectively.

Jeremy Renner's Saul is so convincing I wondered at times if this was based on a real story. The temptation may have been to over play for dramatic effect, yet Renner lets the audience somehow inhabit his character, and you truly feel what he wants you to feel.

We will no doubt see more of the team which created this masterpiece. It looked and sounded great. Exceptional casting on all levels and deep yet accessible directing and production yielding great performances. So much so, the production process was transparent, a welcome experience.

If "Take" does not do such with at least one Academy Award, there is no justice in the world.