Don’t ever say Scott Adkins’ action movies are ever the same again – especially after Take Cover. Directed by Nick McKinless, who comes from a stunt background, from a script by Joshua Todd James, this action thriller puts all the nail-biting tension into a penthouse for the bulk of its running time. Hey, it might not be picking up the big gongs when awards season rolls by, but who wouldn’t want to watch this over and over again instead of having their eyes bleached by the self-absorbed Oscar-bait?
So, what’s the deal in Take Cover? Simple: Adkins plays sniper Sam and Jack Parr portrays spotter Ken. Not only do they conduct hits for an organization that communicates with them through the mysterious Tam (Alice Eve), but they’re also pals. After a mission goes sideways, Sam considers calling it a day on his sniping career. Deciding to have a heart-to-heart with Ken about it, he meets up with him at a penthouse where they will be treated to massages (and a little more, if you catch the drift). Well, all happy endings are put on pause, as snipers take aim at Sam, Ken, and the masseuses. They’re trapped in the room and need to – insert trailer guy voice here – take cover.
The movie takes place in one setting, but it’s all action all the time
As mentioned before, Take Cover takes place in mostly one setting: A luxurious penthouse. It creates a fascinating dynamic, because it could easily have become a 90-minute slog of exposition about feelings and what it means to take a life, blah, blah. While there’s a tiny element of this as the audience finds out more about Sam and Ken’s pasts through the dialogue, Nick McKinless chooses the action road instead. The snipers are poised and ready to strike, but there’s an additional threat: At sporadic intervals, a bunch of goons get sent up the elevator. Scott Adkins‘ Sam needs to fight like a beast to defeat a group of armed assailants, while he watches his back to prevent the snipers from tagging him.
McKinless sets up a series of fast and furious fight scenes, giving Adkins the room to do what he does best and put on a jaw-dropping (or jaw-breaking) display of martial arts. The timing is everything here since no one would believe two snipers would be seriously so bad at their jobs that they’d let Sam or anyone else fight for 10 minutes in the clear without taking a shot. So, as soon as the bad guys come in, Sam needs to put them down or lure them into a corner of the room (or the elevator) that the snipers won’t be able to see. The fight science makes sense; therefore, making the danger far more believable.
Scott Adkins and Jack Parr impress in an action film that takes inspiration from the ’80s
From a story perspective, Take Cover screams ’80s action in every way. It’s not too deep or thought-provoking in any way, as it sets the stakes and introduces the characters, then it’s bombs away and it’s fight time. At the same time, there’s still that slick sense of humour found in these types of films, because even though the people are being shot at, they find a moment for the odd chuckle. Madaline Bellariu Ion’s Mona and Alba De Torrebruna’s Lily provide a genuine laugh-out-loud moment as they prattle off to each other in a different language during an intense scene. When Sam asks Mona what Lily said, Mona quips back: “She’s so scared she forgot how to speak English.” Aaron Sorkin, eat your heart out!
Scott Adkins receives the bulk of the screen time to shove off his action skills and reaffirm his place in the pantheon of B-movie action gods, but his bromance with Jack Parr electrifies too. Parr doesn’t have the longest list of credits on IMDb, but he possesses an undeniable charisma and ability to light up every scene he’s in. Hollywood needs to stop sleeping on Parr, because he has that something special that’s rare to find in actors. They either have it or they don’t – there’s no faking it.
Is Take Cover worth watching?
Rewatching the trailer, there’s no disputing that Take Cover delivers on what it promises. It hardly stops to catch its breath and unleashes a busting dose of action and excitement for an hour and a half. Much like Scott Adkins’ Sam, it’s clean, efficient, and hits the mark.
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Take Cover |
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A burned-out professional sniper finds himself trapped in an all-glass penthouse by a lethal competitor and must find a way to survive and escape with little to no cover between him and the killer. |
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| Studio: Signature Entertainment |
| Running Time: 90 minutes |
| Release Date: October 4, 2024 |
| Cast: Scott Adkins, Jack Parr, Alice Eve, Billy Clements, Madalina Bellariu Ion, Ada Michaels-Mason |
| Director: Nick McKinless |
| Writers: Joshua Todd James |
| Genre: Action, Thriller |
| Box Office: N/A |
The Review
Take Cover
Take Cover provides Adkins action and pulsating excitement – what more do people want?
Review Breakdown
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Verdict
