The Take

Brilliant, 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.

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.

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.

Director 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.

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.

J