Takers appears in an aspect ratio of approximately 2.40:1 on this Blu-Ray Disc. Across the board, the transfer looked great.
At all times, the film boasted excellent clarity. Only the slightest smidgen of softness ever appeared, as 99 percent of the flick provided crisp, precise images. I noticed no jaggies or moiré effects, and edge enhancement never manifested itself. In addition, the film failed to display any print defects.
Modern action flicks just love orange and teal, and these dominated Takers. Much of the movie used these hues; heck, they often showed up in the same shot! Some tans also materialized, so don’t expect any vaguely natural colors. Within the film’s production design, the hues fared fine; I wasn’t wild about the style choices, but they looked good for what they were. Blacks were dark and full, while shadows demonstrated nice clarity and smoothness. I felt quite pleased with this presentation.
Though not as good, the DTS-HD MA 5.1 soundtrack of Takers worked well. Various vehicular elements offered the most active use of the spectrum. This was especially true during pieces with gunfire and chases, and a few other sequences used the various channels in a satisfying way. The action scenes didn’t emerge on a frequent basis, but when they appeared, they utilized the soundscape in an engrossing manner, and music made active use of the different channels.
Audio quality pleased. Speech was concise and natural, without edginess or other issues. Music showed good range and vivacity, while effects worked nicely. Those elements came across as accurate and full, with solid low-end response and positive definition. All of this added up to a “B+”.
A few extras fill out the package. We find an audio commentary with director John Luessenhop, producers Will Packer and Jason Geter and actor Tip “TI” Harris. All four sit together for this running, screen-specific look at story and character issues, visual and photographic choices, cast and performances, sets and locations, stunts and action, and a few other areas.
Given his legal history, TI’s presence leads to some amusing comments about guns, such as “I will not be debating with TI the protocol of proper gun handling”. That’s the most enjoyment I got from this commentary, as the rest of it seems pretty banal. The participants throw in occasional filmmaking nuggets, but the track never becomes especially informtive. It gives us a passable overview and nothing more.
Two featurettes follow. Executing the Heist: The Making of Takers runs 11 minutes, 13 seconds and offers notes from Luessenhop, Harris, Packer, writers Peter Allen, Avery Duff and Gabriel Casseus, executive producer Glenn S. Gainor, and actors Matt Dillon, Chris Brown, Paul Walker, Jay Hernandez, and Michael Ealy. The show discusses the project’s origins and influences, story and characters, cast and performances, locations and photography.
Don’t expect anything meaningful here. “Heist” rushes through the film’s background and usually sticks with promotional fluff, so it doesn’t deliver much useful material. It’s also replete with spoilers, so skip it if you’ve not already seen the movie.
Take Action! goes for 10 minutes, eight seconds and included statements from Packer, Gainor, Luessenhop, Brown, Dillon, Harris, Hernandez, and Walker. The piece covers stunts and effects. Like “Heist”, we don’t learn much more than how great everyone involved was. It lacks much meaningful material.
Under Previews, we get ads for Faster, Animal Kingdom, The Tourist and Game of Death. A Music Promo for TI’s “Yeah Ya Know (Takers)” just combines the song with movie clips, so it’s not especially interesting. No trailer for Takers appears here.
How could a movie about a slick criminal gang and a police investigation be so dull? I don’t know, but Takers fails to ignite any excitement. It tells its story poorly and substitutes busy, stylized visuals for action. The Blu-ray boasts excellent visuals, very good audio and a mediocre set of supplements. I’d advise you to skip this loud, boring action flick.