Boasting an all-star B lineup, Takers plays out like a combination of American Gangster and a movie about the Wild Bunch (take your pick: The Wild Bunch or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid). A group of hardened, expert bank robbers sets out to gain "enough" to ride off into the sunset while a former teammate of theirs re-enters the scene after prison and a bulldog police detective attempts to track them down. Throw in a love triangle, some paternity issues, and a derelict addict sibling and you've got a hip criminal drama.

First, the band of happy criminals. Led by Idris Elba as Gordon (the brains) and Paul Walker as John Rahway (his righthand man), the motley crew is filled out by Jake Attica (Michael Ealy), his brother Jesse (Chris Brown), and A.J. (Hayden Christensen). Their former accomplice/nemesis is Ghost (T.I.) who has some leadership issues and some resentment for taking the fall the last time their idea turned south and they almost got caught. Well, he got caught and the rest escaped, and Jake ended up with Ghost's number one girl, Lily (Zoe Saldana). Oooooh, trouble is a-brewin'.

Meanwhile, on the side of angels (separated by a thin slice of line) is Jack Welles (Matt Dillon, who actually plays a decent cop) who loves his job but often allows it to get in the way of his fatherhood responsibilities. His partner, Eddie Hatcher (Jay Hernandez), is more than willing to intervene in the custody battle going on for Jack's daughter, but Jack is sure he can handle his domestic troubles and catch the bad guys, even if it means taking his daughter along for surveillance.

The film itself is strong on style as tension mounts until the final gun battle, and the actors who were cast certainly back it up. Unfortunately, it takes after the quiet desperation of those gangster movies where the body count is pretty high by the end, and it's a wonder who you were supposed to root for! Still, it's a fun jaunt, and it does circle around back to the kinds of themes and values that you're probably okay with: family is important, loyalty is paramount, and greed, well, it kills. Is that really the point of the movie? Probably not, because the point is merely to have a good time and to make some cash (the thieves, and the actors) while having a good time doing it.