The Take

John Leguizamo knocks it out of the park as an armored car driver in The Take, which is quite a bit better than you'd expect from a low-budget thriller that's getting a token theatrical release a month ahead of its DVD debut.

Perez and Leguizamo make an entirely believable couple, and director Brad Furman creates an intense undercurrent of intimacy between the audience and his haunted hero.

Mr. Furman, who also directs music videos, has given the movie, shot by Lukas Ettlin, a bleached-out, unglossy look. Occasionally the visuals seem overly stylized, but Mr. Furman knows enough to showcase his stars' unvarnished performances.

This winning combination of neighborhood indie and old-school Hollywood B movie is the kind of film that doesn't flinch from the sight of a bullet being removed from human flesh.

Furman stages the final foot chase with brio, but one wishes that he'd found a way to stay at home with Felix and Marina, who don't need guns to thrill.