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

This 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.

Outstanding tv show and Tom Hardy was phenomenal in it.

I would recommend anyone to watch this.

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.