The Takeover
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The Takeover
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Takeover is a Dutch thriller about an ethical hacker, Mel, who stumbles into an international crime conspiracy. She's quickly framed for murder and hunted by police and criminals who want her dead. There's a fair amount of gun violence, fighting, and people being chased. Main characters are constantly under threat. A few times, people get shot in the head, and once, graphically, as the man's head snaps back when shot. A camera video of a man getting shot in the head is shown many times, but the film is grainy. Some corpses are shown with bullet holes in them. There's a lot of strong language, which includes: "f--k," "s--t," "a--hole," "bitch," "damn," "Jesus," and the middle finger.
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What's the Story?
In THE TAKEOVER, an ethical hacker (Holly Mae Brood) uncovers an international crime conspiracy. She is soon framed for murder and hunted by dangerous criminals and the police. Will she clear her name and uncover the conspiracy?
Is It Any Good?
There's a lot to like in this quick, pacey, thriller. But The Takeover is also quite shallow and a movie that doesn't want the audience thinking that much. Illogical inconsistencies bring down the believability of a lot of what happens, especially the denouement where the film literally turns into Speed (the Keanu Reeves classic). Not very much is explained, either, regarding the actual conspiracy, how "the Chinese government" is exactly behind all this, or why Interpol isn't interested. Thus, the movie doesn't want a thinking audience, but nor is the movie made for the oppositely inclined. Surface-level thriller is written large across the board, so to speak.
Fittingly, the characters seem to be drawn thinly, with each person's role and purpose clearly delineated. No character ever surprises or does something unexpected, so they become simple functions of moving the story along. This is a little limiting, given that the film could've had more personality if the characters had more personality. Yet, this isn't the fault of Holly Mae Brood's performance as Mel. She does what she can with a very restricting script and thin character. But the story does move along quickly.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about violence in thrillers. Did the violence in The Takeover make it more exciting? Why or why not?
Would you have gone to the police like Thomas wanted to? Why or why not?
Do you think the film depicted hacking culture well, accurately, or convincingly? What are some examples you can point to that would support your answer?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming: November 1, 2022
- Cast: Holly Mae Brood, Geza Weisz, Frank Lammers, Susan Radder
- Director: Annemarie van de Mond
- Studio: Netflix
- Genre: Thriller
- Run time: 87 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: November 3, 2022
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