Bastille Day (AKA The Take)

Dir: James Watkins

2016

**

Even though the Bastille Day (AKA The Take) doesn't really deserve celebration, you can't help but feel sorry for its writer and director James Watkins. Watkin's is fine talent, even thought My Little Eye and Gone didn't turn out to be great films, the ideas were strong and his directional debut Eden Lake was one of the better films of 2008 and a great modern day horror. He didn't deserve it when the worst happened. The main story is about a terrorist attack on France, it was due for release in February 2016 but was delayed following the attacks in Paris in November 2015. When it was finally felt okay to release it (with a title change in certain parts of the world) France was hit with another terror attack, just one day later, on Bastille Day itself. The film was quickly pulled out of respect and lost a hell of a lot of money in the process. Terrorism is unfortunately a fact of life these days, so when art imitates life these things are often unavoidable but it was an awkward situation for all involved. The film is pretty awful, poorly written with a terrible script and badly constructed main character that didn't suit Idris Elba's talents one bit. Maybe it is best that the film is largely forgettable, I almost think it escaped 2016's worst films lists because people just don't want to go there. Why would they. Terrorism is a far more important subject than a silly film, it seemed in bad taste to talk, criticize or even acknowledge its existence. I have no doubt it is a film that everyone involved would like to forget and pretend never happened. There isn't much more to say about it really, it's like a worse version of the bad Die Hard movies with awful attempts at James Bond style espionage, film noir, social commentary, media manipulation and just how the CIA//MI6/OSS work. Idris Elba is better than this and deserves a far better script but I'd love to see him in more of these types of role, it's just a shame he got suckered into this mess.