THE TAKE DVD

All four episodes of the four-part ITV drama mini-series based on the novel by Martina Cole. Tom Hardy stars as Freddie Jackson, who is released from prison in 1984 having served a four-year sentence for armed robbery. His wife Jackie (Kierston Wareing), who has been waiting for him on the outside in the mistaken belief that that he wants to go straight, soon finds herself disappointed: Freddie is in fact raring to get back into the game and has set his sights on becoming top dog in the East End underworld. Meanwhile his younger cousin Jimmy (Shaun Evans) is hot on his heels, and dreams of riding Freddie's coat-tails to rise through the ranks of the crime empire.

Based on the best-selling book by Martina Cole, The Take follows the story of Freddie Jackson, a man who’s just left prison. And it’s fair to say has no intention of leaving a life of crime behind him. Thanks to the book of contacts he’s accrued while inside, he’s looking to put his newly found knowledge to commercial, and criminal, use.

Played by Tom Hardy, in a strong leading turn, Jackson doesn’t take long to get back to business. The Take lands him a London rife with gang warfare though, and we soon get the impression that this is not a safe place to be. Events start in the mid 1980s, and the narrative of the drama then covers the next decade, and the cultural and political changes that encompasses. And Jackson’s life doesn’t quite go the way he’d envisaged…

Co-starring Brian Cox and Charlotte Riley, The Take packs plenty in over its four instalments, and it doesn’t hold back on portraying just how brutal the London underworld can be. Yet it’s gripping drama, nonetheless, spearheaded by a superb turn from Tom Hardy in the lead role. Granted, it crams too much into four episodes, and often has to gallop through events. Plus, there’s a familiarity to the narrative. But this is a gritty, well-released adaptation of a strong book, and worth seeking out. --Jon Foster