I watched the four episodes of this mini-series in one go. That's how good it is. Once you're in the story you want to know what's coming. All actors did a great job I thought, but the best actor had to be Tom Hardy playing Freddie Jackson. Freddie Jackson, just released from prison, immediately picks up his criminal career, only thinking about his interests. He quickly becomes a very selfish and arrogant character that you almost hate immediately. And Tom Hardy plays this role perfectly. A brilliant performance if you ask me. The story itself is a gangster story with a lot of drama going on. You get sucked into the story and that's a good thing. For a short television series you can't get much better then The Take.
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This mini series are well done and strangely not that popular. It is dark and brutal crime story . Main character (Tom Hardy) as you can see from the start is a psychopathic person, so he is doing what psychopath usually does and that is hard to watch and swallow. Tom Hardy is acting brilliantly that kind of a person.By the time I finished watching the show I was completely appalled and disgusted by the character he was portraying. Rest of the actors has done a good job as well. Highly recommended, but be aware what kind of feelings this TV show might give you.
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An early sign that actor Tom Hardy was going to be an acting force to be reckoned with. Hardy plays an ex-con named Freddy who just gets out of prison and initially takes his orders from the crime boss Ozzy (Brian Cox) who is still serving his prison sentence behind bars. Freddy meets up with his childhood best friend Jimmy (Shaun Evans) who is just starting to climb the proverbial crime ladder himself when the rogue Freddy chooses his own violent path to the top of the crime world. Adding controversy is Freddy's open affection for Jimmy's hot looking wife Maggie (Charlotte Riley) and his continued power tripping on anyone who even thinks of getting in Freddy's way.
It must be something about Freddy's resolute stare that makes everyone around him uncomfortable including his own wife Jackie (Kierston Wareing) and their young ten (10) year old son. I don't suggest this four (4) part TV mini-series is for everyone's taste, as it is rather violent and morbid, but it has more than its share of suspenseful moments about life in the midst of a criminal empire.
Tom Hardy excels in his role and he has a strong supporting cast in this four (4) part TV mini-series which left enough on the table to introduce a sequel if the producers could create another decent script. -
Msjcalleja9 April 2012This show is more than OK, but it's impossible to take your eyes off Tom Hardy. He becomes Freddie so much that he becomes unattractive. That seems an impossibility in itself, but it's not the first time Tom Hardy has made me disgusted in his character. I had to constantly remind myself I was watching Tom Hardy, the actor, during Bronson and Warrior. He completely transforms. I would hate to act alongside the guy. He truly is a one-in-a-million that comes along once in a lifetime. My parents had Brando.
Hollywood is being flooded by a tsunami of English talent, and Tom Hardy is surfing it naked. -
linkdan13 January 2012Director David Drury pairs with English actor Tom Hardy to create as brilliant a hard case criminal as you will ever see on film. You've seen Hardy in major pictures probably going back to Band of Brothers, but you would never have imagined his overwhelming power as a major star, an actor so exceptional and so explosive he's more menacing than Al Pacino has ever been let alone any movie villain of the sort we see all the time being defeated by superheros. Hardy, as an ex-con drug kingpin, brutal, terrifying, a rapist, walking around projecting so much menace people practically poop in their pants.
The supporting cast is a collection of English character actors as always superb, and the great Brian Cox guest stars as the incarcerated criminal mastermind.
Drury's camera-work is integral to the constant tension; you'll even be blown away by the opening credits. He's clearly an actor's director first, but this miniseries is a masterpiece overall. Don't miss it. -
Angelus218 February 2011After leaving prison Freddie hopes to take over the criminal empire of his boss, Ozzy. However, Freddie's hot temper is his biggest enemy. His cousin, Jimmy however, is smart and a born businessman, who quickly becomes Ozzy's favourite....While Freddie is left on the outside. The story also focuses on the women in Freddie and Jimmy's life.
The show incorporates some wonderful characters and the actors give some amazing performances, especially Tom Hardy who is sublime as the menacing psychopath, Freddie; it is all in his voice and how he seems to stare into ones soul. What's even more brilliant is that the story never ceases to become boring, it is always tense and powerful. -
lannnancy26 October 2013It's easily the best mini-series that I have ever seen.
Perhaps not the right venue, but could you please tell me the name of the song to which, the bride & groom were dancing to? Sound like, "I'm crazy; crazy about our love " That is just one example about the background music that I loved. The dialogue was crisp and did not lag. The plot was fantastic. Always kept me on the edge of my seat.
Tom Hardy was desirable and irresistible. He played a good, bad guy. I look forward to seeing him in more movies. He takes full control of the camera, when he plays the functional sociopath. It's a mini-series that you want to see over and over again. It can be paralleled to a book. It's not what the author says; it's how he says it. Well, it's not what Tom Hardy plays, It's how he plays it. -
jfcthejock21 July 2009Brilliant, what can I say most novel TV adaptations suck but this and along with another prize winning adaption, the Red Riding Trilogy they both have brought British Drama back with a vengeance that could rival the Americans for the title. In regards to the American counterparts with their crime Dramas, we as British always have darker tales because we do not skimp on detail or grit and thats what is definitely not skimped on in The Take.
Dark, gritty, heartbreaking even TEAR JERKING with a really sad experience for all women, and an even sadder consequence of it. The Take gives Britain a stepping stone just as Red Riding did that we can make good television. The only other programmes I can think that gives us this grittiness, would be Red Riding by a land mile and the likes of Murphy's Law, Cracker and Wire In The Blood. Brilliant TV with a great cast, not much more could be said for Brian Cox, a great actor but with perfect performance by Tom Hardy and Shaun Evans this adaption was only made even better.
A great supporting cast too with Charlotte Riley and Kierston Wareing, who prove they can really give outstanding performances. Great TV that we all want more of. -
ashleyfitches30 January 2022I only found out about this series from social media and I had to check it out when Tom Hardy was leading it. Me been a big fan of Hardy is the main reason I watched this series and I was not disappointed on most fronts. The series starting out strong and I believed that (Hardy's) character Freddie was the protagonist and it seemed like that to begin with but with minutes in each episode this series been a mini series you start to feel he is the antagonist and his personality and actions were monstrous and vile. Some of the actions of Freddie well towards the end of the series most of his actions are abysmal and some of the turns of this series really get you sitting off your seat. This series was all great but the ending really hit a nerve of me. Despite the horrendous movements of Freddie I wish he went out a bit more satisfactory for myself. It felt a bit rushed and not satisfying for the viewer. After this I would definitely recommend and it would've received a higher rating, but the ending didn't fit for me.
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Martina Cole's "The Take", is by far one of the best British drama's I have ever seen. It has such a powerful and gripping storyline, which I find is a rarity. I have never seen acting as fantastic as Tom Hardy plays his character Freddie. They could not have chosen a finer actor and he deserves so much credit for this series alone. I actually did not see this on television, but I bought it on DVD, and as you can tell I do not regret my decision. I would highly recommend this to anyone and everyone. If you love British drama, then you will love this. It has everything from sheer grit to absolutely heart breaking consequences. You cannot watch this without feeling so many different emotions, whether it is tears of laughter or tears of sadness. It will by far be the best 3 hours you will ever watch and it will definitely be something you will want to watch again and again. Martina Cole's "The Take" is nothing short of sheer brilliance.
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davoshannon18 June 2009Only watched half an episode, and already like it.
Brian Cox is always worth watching, but his young protogée is a psycho worth a glance as well. Shades of the Krays in the masked but finally explosive violence.
Only thing I would have improved on so far is the engine in the Capri (well it's the '80's) - it's only a 1.6 Laser. Hadn't the props boys heard of the 3 litre, or depending on the actual timescale the final 280.
The title might have been suggested by Peter Gabriel's lyric "if you don't get given, you learn to take" - but that was about something entirely different. (Peter Gabriel - "I shoot into the sun") Good stuff.
OK, coming back to edit my comments, and noticing a few of you didn't find the comment useful. Bugger off!.
Watching the final episode now, and it's just reinforcing my initial thoughts. This is hard stuff. Like Eastenders (which I don't watch deliberately) on smack. Baseball bats, and even shades of Hostel.
Pay careful attention to the scene in the hairdressing salon between the sisters, when one "wants to look like" the other. Desperate situation.
Finally, not only Brian Cox but the entire cast do an excellent job, and the part of the "wronged sister" is played by someone with such subtle eye movements that I hope her star rises quickly. -
Tom Hardy's performance is disturbingly brilliant. It makes his performance in Warrior look almost restrained when you can see how far he can take it. I will rent what ever he is in to see what he does next. Seems like a modern day Sean Penn with more of an edge and grit, or an Ed Norton. I hope he gets the roles he deserves and is around for a long time. By the way the the other acting is awesome also as is the writing and direction. I believe I saw this on Starz and now must find the blu-ray. Does anyone know why this series did not continue? This could have been the new Soprano's. Tom Hardy even took cigarette smoking to such as extreme level not seen since Jeromy Irons in Dead Ringers.
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Leofwine_draca5 November 2016It's gangster business as usual in this four-part miniseries adaptation of a Martina Cole bestseller. The story, as it goes, is extremely derivative and straightforward: a somewhat psychotic young criminal is released from prison and immediately begins to go off the rails, killing off everyone he sees as an enemy and seriously messing up his family relations along the way. I'm not necessarily a big fan of this particular genre, and watching this miniseries, I remembered why: it's predictable. The gangster stuff might have been relocated to London's East End, but in all other respects it's completely familiar, using SCARFACE and a dozen other similar films as reference points to tell a small scale story. I guess there's only so much you can say when it comes down to it, and this doesn't say anything new at all.
Still, one thing distinguishes this from similar fare: it's got good acting in it, generally across the board. Yes, the majority of the characters are scummy, villainous, repulsive, or a combination of the three, but they're never less than realistic. Most of the cast are unfamiliar newcomers to me, other than stalwart Brian Cox playing a criminal kingpin stuck behind bars (the kind of role he can do in his sleep, to be honest). Best of the bunch is up 'n' comer, Tom Hardy, who went off to Hollywood after this, and it's easy to see why: his depiction of a multi-layered psychopath is absolutely fantastic, a gripping portrayal of madness and evil, and yet with inklings of humanity here and there that stop him from becoming totally one-sided. Hardy's the key that kept me watching this one.
Elsewhere, there's nasty violence, some fraught histrionics involving children, an extremely unpleasant rape scene, and a fitting climax. Sometimes the series feels stretched out, but for the most part it remains watchable, with good, realistic dialogue. I wasn't too happy with the ending, but I still enjoyed the journey there. -
edl66626 January 2015This is not a show about crime or the "mafia", it is a story about two families and especially two sisters who live with some criminals and have to cope with it. There is not much happening on the crime-side of the story and the title is absolutely misleading and wrong. It is no thriller, it is a family-drama about bad, stupid, sad and helpless people. And it gets really tiresome after a while, because Tom Hardy plays a major idiot-bad-ass and you know from the very first scenes that this guy will achieve nothing and ruin everything. And then you can watch the decline of two families ... Yes, the performances are all great. Great and depressing, because there is nothing in that drama that will lighten your mood or entertain you in a friendly way. And it is absolutely predictable, except for the very end, that contained a small surprise. Don't get me wrong: The series is not bad at all, no, but the label is wrong and I expected something else. I did not plan to see crying and desperate women who are doomed by a psycho played by Hardy. This is what comes out when women write about the "mafia". Sorry, but that's the sad truth.
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ja-459658 August 2021Outstanding tv show and Tom Hardy was phenomenal in it.
I would recommend anyone to watch this. -
stumps02918 June 2009Strap yourself for the ultimate thrill ride of betrayal,sex and drugs i've just watched the first two episodes last night and i have too say this is stunning portrayal of a 80's gangster..... our story begins when Freddie gets out from a stint in prison where he was working for Ozzy played brilliant by Brian Cox and the story follows Freddie who is a totally uncontrollable gangster through the decades of the eighties (brillant played by Tom Hardy)in amongst this is his cousin Jimmy who has more brains that him when it comes business and so far the story is tell the battle of wits between the family member if the first two episodes are anything to go by the this is truly worth the watch....
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Best Actor I've seen since Brando. There are a lot of good ones, Jack, DeNiro, Waltz, Denzel, DDL, Andy many more but this guy is... special!
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katieelizabeth-8317626 October 2022This to me is so underrated! I absolutely loved it. Considering how big Tom Hardy is now I don't understand why it's not more popular. I binged the who lot in one go. The acting is incredible and the story line is great. It keeps you interested and gripped the whole way through. If you like Tom Hardy it is for you. Has done really good twists and turns and there is nothing predictable about it. I don't normally write reviews on here but really wanted to for this as I really feel like it deserves more recognition than it seems to have gotten considering it is pretty old now. I 100% recommend giving it a watch,
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jadekite228 September 2010As the film medium becomes over-crowded to the point it's truly impossible to see everything, "The Take" is one of those rare films, which are unfortunately becoming less and less rare as years go by, that bring with it the question of worth.
For one, the film (well, miniseries really, but one wouldn't be able to tell apart from the distracting theme music) is note-for-note "Once Upon a Time in America" if that film never flashed back to explain why its lead was imprisoned and was set in the decade it was made in, the 80s. Actor Tom Hardy even seems to be channeling Robert DeNiro's cocky demeanor in this as well. What Leone's also-flawed-but-classic film had to it's advantage was shock value, probably due to its coming from Leone, who was famous for his Westerns.
"The Take" is predictable; there's no getting around it. While predictability can be used as a tool, it's obvious that the creators had no idea how to use it. This black cloud of similarity over the gangster genre won't go away, especially in period pieces, because gangsters are inherently small-minded. They get by solely on playing the system, so of course to have enough drama for a gripping story, either the system must crumble or the conflict is within the family, where they're to close to consider the odds.
"The Take" involves the latter and that's to it's detriment. Every conflict happens too close. Since the film chooses to simply use rather than take advantage of the genre's tropes, the drama's punch relies on the shock value that Leone's film had in spades. But, it can't because it's too tight, thus doing the exact opposite of what the creators want: making the writing visible to the audience.
Each main character is part of the closely-knit family, meaning that if tragedy strikes, one of them is to blame. Instead of playing that for suspense all the way through, the writer lets you know who did a few things and then forgets that the audience knows process of elimination for the rest.
For example, toward the end, the audience is supposed to be surprised when a character who's been in the background the entire time finally makes his presence known by way of murder. But, since he's the only character who hasn't had his moment, of course an attentive audience would figure it out. Superior gangster films let things like this breathe by using non-family characters like henchmen as supporting characters, but "The Take" chooses to kill any of them off in the first half, before any of them become to interesting and outshine the clichéd main cast. That's sodding irritating.
Reliable talent such as Tom Hardy and Brian Cox are the only praise mentioned on the DVD package and that's pretty much where this reviewer stands. They do all do great, but they always do great. In fact, the question of worth comes in again when you realize that these actors aren't even stretching their chops. All are doing things here in which one would think made previous roles exclusively brilliant, Cox especially, who nearly made me think less of his turn in "The Escapist" after this. Perhaps this is because they're all playing more toned down characters then, say, Hardy's "Bronson." But still. . .
So, what's the answer to the question of worth? It's tough, seeing that everyone involved is talented beyond belief. It's just difficult when all of them seem to not be focusing in the right places, whether that be masking previous, similar roles (that goes for both the cast and writing) or anticipating their intelligent audience. After all, come on! Other than those following Hardy after "Inception", not many will see this who aren't film/TV buffs who will likely have seen the superior "Once Upon a Time in America" or "The Wire." For them, this is a skip. For the rest, who knows? The digital cinematography looks pretty. -
sandrazas-530-53319623 October 2017Took me a while to decide to watch this series, I normally shy away from intense violence on screen. However, I do not regret for a second watching it. Powerful and heart wrenching tale. Beautifully directed and produced. Incredible performances by the whole cast. It'll stay with me for a long time.
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... this film is unquestionably a 10/10... name anything could have been done better... it should have swept every major award category anywhere... all four of the leads give extraordinary performances.. unbelievable-performances... with some of the most gut wrenching acting of the decade... as for Hardy's role, one critic wrote.. "the more I've seen him, the more I've wondered, Is Tom Hardy a great actor or simply a charming, bi-polar psychopath who convincingly plays several hyperbolic iterations of himself"
... a-keep-in-the-library film, to be watched-appreciated over & again through the years... that you'll not be able to get out of your brain for days after. -
mantisfist620 February 2018Tom Hardy stars in this 3 hour, 4 part 'mini-series' as Freddy. A sociopathic, violent and sadistic young man recently out of prison. Starting off in 1984, the film charts Freddy's up's (and subsequent downs) in two further timeframes (1988, and 1994). The plot revolves around the family unit surrounding Freddy.. His wife and 3 kids, as well as his best mate, who ends up marrying Freddy's wife's younger sister. Add to this the 'shadowy' character of Ozzie, the old and grizzled big boss, still in prison but still calling the shots... And you get a somewhat compelling storyline. The acting is great, across the board. However, there are some major problems. The first is that this could easily have been cut down into a 2 hour long film. Too many scenes go on for too long, too many just seem to revolve around establishing shots, and the sheer number of extended takes of people dancing to music gets annoying very quickly. Add to this some very poor production values, you can tell this is made on a relatively small budget. A woeful musical score, that doesn't include any recognisable songs from the era it's set. The worst part though is that the series doesn't know what it wants to be. Drama? Thriller? Psychological character study? Comedy? Tragedy? It seems to want to blend in too many different genres, and contradicts itself in terms of stylisations. It doesn't help that the underlying plot points disappear, when the 'elephant in the room' plot thread comes into play in the last act. And to top it all off, the ending was a massive cop-out that had me asking questions the narrative posed, but never answered.
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studliban-8203412 February 2022This is in my eyes, is one of the best English crime series ever. I remember watching it on Sky when it came out, and still to this day not many people have seen it.
Tom hardy plays his character so well you love to hate him, exceptional acting from everyone and seriously dark and full of jealousy. It is a must watch for anyone. -
cryptodad6 December 2023This series is a bit hard to digest because of its harsh reality of criminality. You become a witness to a world we don't ever want to live in , and kinda feel like I should be calling the cops on the writers. I mean this in admiration. There are no masks for Tom Hardy who gives a magnificent performance as does Brian Cox. Again, in admiration, I would have thought some of the Brits might have called the Yard on the writers for breaking some Royal Rules on loving and living like a little bit normal ? The soundtrack is worthy to say the least .I'd say it's up there with the acting for how well the scenes emotion and music score fit so well. Anyways, No spoilers here.
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derdriui6 February 2011The plot is just enough to keep you going. There's just enough, perhaps just a little less than enough, to keep the actors going, and to keep the producers producing. And for that reason this is a GREAT watch.
Tom Hardy's playing of Freddie is chilling yet human and very nuanced. Really worth a watch. And his wife, played by Kierston Wareing, is similarly well played. The entire cast is good, in fact. And the production is high quality.
**** SPOILERS ****
Very gritty, very interesting, and there is a very well-acted weird psychosexual crisis going on between Freddie and Jimmy.
The author (or just the screenwriter?) obviously doesn't know too much about gang life, but the timeline is reasonably spread out and and the clichés are largely tolerable. On the more unforgivable side of stupid, there's a token black guy who randomly gets killed.