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Premiering last Friday here in the states and this Monday the 14th in the UK, action icon Scott Adkins has made his triumphant return to adrenaline laced cinema delivering his signature brand of ass kicking heroics in first time director Nick McKinless’ single locale actioner Take Cover which takes its cues from the glory days of old school 80’s and 90’s action. At this stage in his career, Adkins has nothing left to prove to his legions of fans and when a movie starring the action phenom hits, it should be considered a national and international holiday where you take the day off, get a pizza and some soda (sorry, I don’t drink alcohol), sit back in your comfy movie recliner and watch Adkins lay waste to hordes of deserving baddies. It’s also important to note that the actor is taking on different kinds of roles and while doing something different, still gives the fans what they are looking for. The man’s skill set is still sick as ever and add in the fact that he is one of the best actors working in action cinema today on both the dramatic and physical side of the spectrum, Adkins is a legit, savage film threat.
But does his latest film Take Cover check all the boxes that fans have come to expect. The answer is a resounding yes and here the star proves that once again he can do something different but still encompass the vast array of action design that has made him the icon he is today. Yes, Scott Adkins is no longer an action star folks. He is an action icon whose name should always be uttered under the same breath as Stallone, Norris, Schwarzenegger and Van Damme. Just to name a few.
The plot to Take Cover sees Adkins doing a new approach in characterization as he plays elite sniper and all-around Black Ops bad ass Sam Lorde. Along with his spotter and fellow Black Ops bad ass buddy Ken (Jack Parr who also starred with Adkins in One Shot) they are the best there is. They work for a shadowy government organization with the mysterious Tamara (Alice Eve) as their only contact. Unfortunately, during Lorde’s most recent mission, something goes terribly array, and collateral damage is dispensed along with the confirmed kill of the HVT thus giving Sam an attack of conscience which forces him to confront his life choices and decide to hang up his rifle for righteous reasons.
Before he bids farewell to this hectic and bloody lifestyle, Sam agrees to one final assignment with Ken and as a reward for their services they are treated to a few days of R&R in a lavish penthouse overlooking the beautiful landscape of a city that never sleeps. Sam is hesitant though and asks to keep the curtains drawn. A true professional sniper who seeks to never give his position away. This trip comes complete with masseuses and waiters who attend to their every need and the two warriors bask in the fortunes of war. One should always learn though that when working for a shadowy organization, it pretty much is never a good thing in the long run and Tamra sets out to eliminate all in the penthouse so Lorde won’t offer his services to someone else in the future. Like a said, shadowy always equals bad mojo.
Before they can blink, Sam, Ken and the two masseuses are locked in a kill box with a lethal sniper making it impossible to move anywhere in the room. Add in an array of mercenaries who descend on the penthouse as well and Sam and Ken are about to learn that there are no rewards in the business of killing and they will have to rely on all their spec ops skills to survive the night and the endless gauntlet of assassins sent to eliminate them.
Take Cover continues the ever popular and successful formula of having a veteran stunt professional turned filmmaker helm all the savage chaos and violence. This time it’s McKinless who has served his stunt talents well on films and series like Fast X, Gangs of London and Kingsman: The Golden Circle. McKinless is another professional that has cut his teeth in the stunt world for years and now he is parlaying that knowledge into what can only be a bright filmmaking career. With Adkins as his inaugural muse for his first feature, McKinless is in fine company to demonstrate that he can direct action coherently and shoot it in a way that showcases his star’s insane talents. McKinless essentially lets Adkins loose to do what he does best, and fans will check all the boxes as the onscreen action master delivers numerous sequences of firefights, beatdowns and knife fights all taking place in one single room.
The single locale aspect offers another layer to what could have been just another action movie and here it employs a claustrophobic realism that is taut, sweat inducing and heart racing. This time, as he has done so many times in the past, Adkins descends on the screen delivering jaw dropping brutality, but the stakes are even higher this time around as his character is a flawed hero who must navigate a sweatbox of death and try to rescue all that are with him. This element of no cover and no room to really move while bullets erupt out of nowhere generates a nerve cutting tension unlike what we’ve seen in past Adkins flicks and the thought that our lone hero can be cut down at any moment from a shadow bullet while fending off an army coming up the elevator immerses the viewers into the realm of chaos and ferocious engagements to the death that utilizes why Adkins is an action icon. Yes, he’s an icon from here on out.
Another layer that drives Take Cover is co-star Jack Parr who plays Sam’s never say die comrade Ken. Parr, like I mentioned before, also starred with Adkins as one of the Navy SEALS in One Shot, so they certainly have some great repour with one another. I was picking up some serious Tango & Cash vibes and that is certainly welcoming along with all the firepower and fisticuffs that litters the movie’s running time. Buddy action, when done well, takes these films to another plateau and here, McKinless and company definitely are fans of the throwback style of Riggs and Murtaugh. The banter between Sam and Ken is humorous on several occasions and their interaction with one another culminates in the audience caring for these two men and wanting them to survive the dire situation that is ahead of them. When you care about the characters, the action means so much more and here McKinless gives us much needed time between the bombastic set pieces to fully adhere to what Adkins and Parr are selling and the latter also gets ample opportunity to shine in the action department.
On nefarious bad guy duties this time around is Alice Eve as the ruthless Tamara. This role is a solid one for the actress who is known for her beauty as well as he acting and here, she goes in for a bold performance as she is only shown from the back for most of the movie and we only hear her icy, eerily calm and emotionless voice as she is talking to Sam and Ken on the phone. At first, she is an ally but as the action unfolds, here true colors are revealed, and Eve deploys all this with just her sinister voice and heartless fervor which makes for a rousing and evil performance. Madalina Bellariu Ion as Mona and Alba De Torrebruna as Lily are also solid, and they could have been throw away characters but we get to feel for them as well as they are just two innocent women thrown into this extraordinary situation. We spend enough time with them as well to warrant feelings. Ion especially has a lot of meat on the bone for her character and she rises above just being a secondary person in the scenes.
The movie is seriously stacked with enough jaw dropping stunts, and fight choreography and theatrics and I must admit that Take Cover looks like it should be hitting theaters worldwide as it has a very high budgeted look and glossy sheen to it. Subsequently, Adkins can also be seen on the big screen as he takes on Dave Bautista in director J.J. Perry’s stunt filled assassin actioner The Killers Game which is now in cinemas nationwide. The adrenaline is virtually nonstop, and Adkins gets involved in blistering shoot outs, CQB altercations with bladed weaponry, gnarly finishing moves and a barbaric elevator tussle that will have fans cheering from first blow to last man standing. There’s even a crowd-pleasing altercation with a machine gun dispensing drone that climaxes with death defying heroics that only Adkins can deliver. I must say that if I ever live in a high rise, I’m purchasing satin sheets.
I must admit that when this project was announced, I thought it was going to be more of a cerebral thriller with Adkins locking horns with another sniper and I was right in that aspect but no worries here folks, the main man has got you covered like he always does as they manage to throw in everything and the kitchen sink when it comes to the elite and unflinching action design in a confined space.
If I had one complaint to the proceedings, it would be that I wish the enemy sniper had more of a role and that he was connected in some way to Sam. As it unfolds, he is just another world class sniper that is assigned to take Sam out but having some history of who he was would have upped the stakes. This is nitpicking though on my part, and I digress on several levels.
All in all, Take Cover is another solid notch on Scott’s action film arsenal. Adkins delivers a layered performance and goes all out as he always does in a horde of heart pumping action beats that showcase why he is the best of the best. While Adkins takes a few chances here with the role, he still makes sure that his loyal fans will get what they paid for with signature Adkins action and gravity defying theatrics as only he can undertake.
First time director Nick McKinless has a bright future in helming action cinema and here he shakes any newcomer rust off with a film that overcomes any traps and tropes that could have sunk it before it started. He’s another blossoming action maestro that gets it and knows how to display it for all to see.
Throw in a great supporting cast including Alice Eve and Jack Parr along with standouts Madalina Bellariu Ion and Alba De Torrebruna and this is a stacked cast that have certainly put the work in and elevate what could have just been another DTV action flick.
Take Cover has a polished look to it and the action scenes are as advertised from what fans saw in the trailer and this one is a worthy addition to any serious Scott Adkins collection that you will want to revisit upon occasion. If anything, this film just proves that Adkins is like a fine wine, and he is just getting better with age and he has earned the right to be called one of the best, if not the best, in action cinema history.
VERDICT: 4 Out of 5 Stars
Take Cover is Essential Adkins at his best in a claustrophobic actioner that delivers the adrenaline on all levels and immerses the fans in a multi- layered action film of unmatched bravado!
Take Cover is available on Digital Platforms and DVD 14 October. Distributed by Signature Entertainment!
