# The Take (2009)

> Freddie Jackson, newly released from prison, sets out to take control of the East End underworld while his wife Jackie hopes he has gone straight.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/16344

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 4
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama
- Created by: Martina Cole
- Network: Sky One
- Cast: Shaun Evans, Tom Hardy, Charlotte Riley, Kierston Wareing, Margot Leicester, Brian Cox, Jane Wood, Steve Nicolson
- TMDB rating: 7.7/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1366321/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: strong
- Complexity: accessible
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: bleak, tense, gritty, morally grim, menacing

## What critics say

Audiences rated this four-part crime miniseries positively, with its gritty East End setting and strong lead performances standing out.

## Synopsis

The Take (2009) is a British four-episode crime miniseries created by Martina Cole for Sky One. Tom Hardy plays Freddie Jackson, a career criminal freshly released from prison after a four-year sentence for armed robbery, who is eager to climb back into the game and seize control of the East End underworld. His wife Jackie (Kierston Wareing) has been waiting for him in the belief that he wants to go straight, and her disappointment drives the emotional core of the story as her hopes collide with his ambitions. Shaun Evans, Charlotte Riley and Brian Cox round out the principal cast as figures tied to the criminal circles Freddie hopes to dominate. Each of the four hour-long episodes builds steadily on the escalating power struggles, rivalries and loyalties of London's gangland. Set in 1984 London, the series has a hard, working class atmosphere shaped by its cramped streets, pubs and back rooms. Its tone is bleak, tense and morally grim, with a sense of family bonds fraying under criminal pressure. Fans of Peaky Blinders and Gangsters will find a similar appetite for british gangland ambition and gritty, character driven menace.

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